Diverging Paths
by FaeFox
Summary: Left blinded and sick, Inuyasha was cast off from the group. Not truly belonging with the humans that betrayed him, he left with a hidden member of his family to seek out the Western Lands to regain something akin to a life. InuxOC After Naraku's demise. *All Current Chapters updated and Fic Renamed from 'Byoki no Uragiri' due to plot changes as of 12/29/16*
1. What it should be

Most days in Inuyasha's life felt like a single thing couldn't go right. This was supposed to be one of his happiest days yet, but it felt quite the opposite.

The dark hanyou Naraku is dead, and it should be a grand, exciting moment. They were free from their quest and could maybe even celebrate. So many people around were happy, Kohaku and Kagura are free, but instead, the whole group started complaining on how that it took too long, how it should have been done long ago.

Maybe it was meant to bear a different meaning? Perhaps it was relieved because it took so long? Who knows? Inuyasha certainly didn't get it.

His ear twitched. Was that a comment on how it was his fault it took too long?

Sighing heavily, he sheathed the Tessaiga.

"What bothers you?" Sesshomaru approached him from where he had stood. It was remarkable how this conversation was now even taking place, it went to show how long they've been battling this. It felt as though it could have been years.

Everyone had times where they couldn't possibly get along, yet there were some times when they had peaceful exchanges such as this.

"Them," he nodded towards the others of his group with the added Koga, Ayame, Kagura, and Kohaku.

"For what reason?"

Crossing his arms in a huff, he explained gruff gruffly, "They've been calling me names behind my back, ignoring me and such. Blaming me for things I didn't do…" he paused to growl. "Kagome's abusing the subjugation necklace."

"Tell them otherwise."

"I try," turning away from his half brother momentarily, he let his expression drop,

"They say I'm being unreasonable and Kagome sits me."

"Get the collar removed."

"I can't do it myself," throwing his arms up in growing frustration, he paced. "Kaede or Kagome has to do it."

"Ask the elderly miko."

"She thinks I'm too reckless."

"Perhaps because you are-" Sesshomaru remained stoic as he was interrupted by an indignant 'Hey!' from the half demon. "Though then again, you have been doing very well with Seishin."

Inuyasha fell silent, his face in what seemed to be an angry pout.

"I will depart," Sesshomaru briefly touched Inuyasha's shoulder with his newly regenerated arm before walking off into the forest.

At that moment, Kagura bid farewell and left on her feather, as well as Ayame following Koga after he left.

"Let's go and give Lady Kaede the good news," Miroku suggested, hopping onto the transformed Kirara, an excited shine taking over his face. Happily, Kohaku and Sango boarded.

"You going to carry me or what?" Kagome stalked over to Inuyasha, who didn't quite have the patience nor the energy to deal with her moodiness.

"You have feet, walk," he turned and begun walking off by himself.

"Hey, mutt!" she shouted in a rise of her temper. She had been fighting all day, and he expected her to walk?

The tone in her voice stopped him. "Mutt?" he questioned, turning to her slowly.

Without thought to repercussions, she demanded, "Take me to Kaede."

"No, bitch," gasps were echoed from who was left. "You are not going to start calling me names."

"Oh really, monster?" she pushed.

"Definitely not, wench."

Many things were said that day, and many that might not be easily forgiven over time. Their relationship had gone on long enough with so much tension, it was bound to blow up eventually. The anger in their voices rose with each insult, the next worse than the last. They were practically circling each other, not wanting to give in.

They were both so stubborn.

"Devil's spawn," Kagome ended with.

A fierce glare halted her, making the others meters away shy behind one another. Calmly approaching with hatred blazing underneath, he stopped barely a step away from Kagome, smelling her nervousness grow to the point where she shook in her shoes.

"I'm," he started slowly, calm and quiet; "The devil's spawn?" He hummed, almost in thought. His eyes were bright, seeming like they glowed in his pure rage. "My brother holds that title perfectly," he continued, nose to nose with her. "You do not hold the authority to say such things to me. You are a lowly human, and I will treat you as such since you do not care for me." With a shove, he sent her flying into Miroku, a good ten meters away.

"That was uncalled for, Inuyasha," Sango grunted as she helped Miroku and Kagome up.

He said nothing as he turned and walked away from the group he used to call friends. Stalking deeper into the woods, he tried to push his thoughts away from those... those...

Rotten bastards!

All he could pay attention to was the memories of their journey, remembering all the times where 'he had been in the wrong.'

How many times had they tried to live his life for him? Telling him what to say, how to act, what to do. They treated him like he was the family dog, an old, stupid dog.

A mutt.

Something so low below them, that they forgot that maybe, he could've had a say in some things? Maybe his opinions and thoughts mattered?

He wanted to be more than the family mutt, but he was coming to the thought that maybe it wasn't to be. Maybe he had wasted all his time on this stupid-ass quest, and that maybe he should've died long ago.

Grasping something in his pocket, he ran off.


	2. Another problem

A couple weeks after the death of Naraku, Inuyasha finally returned to the village. He found out that the jewel was Kagome's only way to get through the well, so now that Naraku has been killed and the sacred jewel was destroyed, Kagome couldn't pass through the well.

After learning this, the teen became really depressed about it, even to the point where she took her anger out on anyone she could reach. She cried endlessly and confided in just about everyone in the village about how she was on the receiving end of misfortune. Inuyasha was sick of hearing it.

She has been picking fights with Inuyasha deliberately, at any comment he may or may not have made. She has said several times that she believes strictly that Inuyasha think he's 'all high and mighty'.

The half demon was tired of feeling like an old rag doll, and was planning on leaving for a while to let her blow off some steam.

It was a fine day to leave too, he was all alone in a tree by the river. Peacefully twirling a bracelet around his wrist, listening to the coursing river. That was, until Kagome, Sango and Shippo arrived.

He eventually made it to the ground with a comment that made Kagome glare.

"You're just being a child," Sango whispered, taking a momentary break from waxing Hiraikotsu. She shook her head lightly as he crossed his arms and stuck hia nose into the air dismissively.

"Seriously, Inuyasha, that was not necessary…" Kagome cradled the crying Shippo. Who, in fact, was faking it.

"The brat deserved it!" he protested, which turned out to be a bad idea.

Hissing a single command and not even bothering to stick around to see the end result, Kagome stalked off. Leaving Inuyasha the pleasure of falling to the ground. Only, it wasn't falling, it was being brutally thrown into it. The enchanted subduing necklace suddenly gained thousands of pounds and ripped him from his standing position.

The air was forced from his lungs as his head took a throbbing hit to the rocky ground of the riverbank.

The process was rather repetitive and tiring. It happened daily, one would say or do something that the other disagreed with. It didn't matter who was on which side of the argument, Inuyasha always ended indented into the ground.

Lungs beginning to burn, he shakily pushed himself up on unsteady arms. Taking a deep breath just served to make him dizzy.

"Of all the ground to meet, I get fucking rocks in my face…" he muttered as ne rubbed a small cut from a particularly sharp one. It will heal in an hour, but it still can sting.

"I told you before, you've got to stop this foolishness," Sango remarked as she watched him get to his feet.

"I don't give a damn," he tried to convince himself, but most days it didn't work.

"Inuyasha, stop this. You are our friend and we all care for you. It's just… you get out of hands sometimes…"

"Then stop trying to control me!" he stomped off in a grump. Sango followed him, trying to keep pace with him. She was practically running, grasping onto the fire rat robe to not loose him.

His mood increased throughout the jog, he was moody at rocks underfoot, breaking the soft grass. The rocks dug into his bare foot, not to the point of breaking skin, but enough to prickle it. Much like Sango, he musedq.

See, Sango had a tendency to have two sides. She has the smooth, calm side, while the other was spiked and angry. Much like rocks. While some times, she agreed with him, there were more frequent times when she was against him. Always being the perfect friend, taking Kagome's side. So, he get stabbed by the pointed side of the rock.

"Inuyasha!" she pleaded that he slow down, but he didn't listen. She was persistent and broke through the foliage quickly, ignoring how pretty it was that day. The soft autumn sun streaking through the tree tops, colouring the world with the shades of the leaves.

She called after him, trying to get his attention, trying to get some answers about why he did these things, be he ignored these questions: 'Why are you so mean to Kagome?' 'Where are you going?' 'Why are you mean to Shippo?' 'Are you like this to everyone?' 'Why do you provoke all these fights?' 'Are you taking the long way to Kaede's?' 'Why do you chose to be such a child?' 'Why aren't you talking?' 'Are you going to talk to me?'

He continued on walking, no longer paying attention to what she was saying. He was more interested in the fact that there was a significant loss of birds in this area. A herd or demon must have come by recently and scared them away.

Sniffing the air, he caught the scent of a demon. It was nearby, and a bear demon. He decided that Sango was strong enough to take care of it on her own.

That was the plan until she screamed out in frustration; "You are being such a child right now! A man shouldn't be afraid to speak his mind!" Chucking a small rock, she hit Inuyasha in the head.

He stopped short, sensing the demon's approach. Turning to Sango with clenched fists at his sides, he thought briefly of replying.

"What have you got to say to that?" Sango asked in a huff, placing her hands on her hips.

Taking a moment to really consider his choice, he decided that maybe a surprise attack could do her some good. Life wasn't what she thought it could be. Jumping into the colourful foliage, he heard Sango call him a coward and then her gasp as the demon came crashing through the bushes.

The next time he came around to the village wasn't until another two days later. But of course, the first thing that happened, was a fight.

He swears that he didn't start it.

Walking into the small hut Kaede owned, he intended to ask her to mend a hole in his clothes. Normally he would find something to repair it with, but he figured the old woman would want to see him, as he's been avoiding the village a lot.

Her company were talking amiably around the crackling fire before he came in.

Silence fell.

Not saying anything about it, he plopped himself down next to Kaede. She raised an eyebrow at him as she stirred the stew sitting on the fire, "Yes, Inuyasha?"

He tossed the folded shitagi onto her lap, remaining silent.

"What's this for Inuyasha?" Kaede asked, leaving the stirring stick in the stew as she inspected the piece of clothing.

"Fix it," he near demanded.

Kaede gave him an exasperated side-glance, "Wouldn't hurt to say please," she chided.

"Keh."

The hut fell silent as Kaede started to mend the hole. Soon, the stew was finished and bowls of it were passed around. They ate in tense silence.

After a while, Inuyasha had enough of it.

"What the fuck did I do?!" he yelled, hopping to his feet.

Kagome reacted immediately, "What did you do, you ask? You did plenty for us to be angry at you!"

"Like what?" He crossed his arms, looking down at her. She was still seated, but she then set the bowl down harshly to raise to her feet.

"Like how you left Sango to die with that demon!"

"She's fine!"

"She could've died and you knew that!"

"It seems that you don't remember she's a demon slayer!"

"It seems that you didn't realize she didn't have any form of defense!"

"It's not just about me!" Sango cut in that moment. She stood up and limped over. "What about Shippo? You've always abused him!"

"A punch ain't gonna kill him!" he scoffed. Like that little brat could get killed, he's always bounded back like he was some sort of ball.

"What if it did?"

"Then one less problem to deal with."

Kagome gasped. She stormed close to slap Inuyasha across the face, though was jntercepted by his hand grabbing her wrist. So small and easy to break... "What if it was you?" she demanded, glaring at him.

"Being killed?" He looked like he actually contemplated it. Ever since he was small, he's only had very few reasons to keep on trying. His daily life was brutal and unforgiving, leaving little to hope for.

He could remember when he was very young, his mother asking them two to live on, to grow up strong. 'Just like your father', she said. Even though she taught him all he knew, she still believed that her children weren't strong enough for the outside world.

Feeling Kagome try to take her hand out of his grip, he was brought back from memories to the small hut. Letting her go, he answered, "If I died, I'd be breaking a promise." Grabbing the mended clothes right from Kaede as she finished them, he took off.

After he hit the forest, he stopped to readjust his clothing, now wearing the mended piece as well. Starting to walk again, he started playing with the bracelet on his wrist. It was for a smaller wrist, just fitting around his fist. The string was simple and only had a dozen or so beads left on it. They were made of polished oak and pine wood, resulting in different shades. There was a small engraving on one of the beads, faded but memorized.

Twirling it around his wrist, he heard branches ruffle around as someone jumped away. Smelling the change in the wind seconds after, he understood why she left.

Taking off the bracelet to hide it safely, it was suddenly ripped from his hands while a gust of wind rushed past him.

Instantly growling, Inuyasha recognized the wolf demon escaping a gust of wind.

He cocked a smirk at him, revealing fangs, holding the bracelet like he was disgusted, "What's this, mutt-face?"


	3. A white lie

"Maybe you two were a little too harsh?" Miroku suggested, thinking of finding a way to lower the tense atmosphere.

Sango turned to him with a glare.

"Sango," he started.

"He left me for dead."

"I'm sure there's a reas-"

"No! Houshi, if there is a reason you're still defending him, then I sure have no reason to talk to you. So if you think that self-centered jerk is right, go with him." She pointed to the door, but Miroku stayed still.

Kagome placed her hand on Sango's shoulder. She looked calm, but her eyes held nothing but rage and frustration. "Let's go to the hot springs, Sango," she offered, placing a strained smile on her face.

Sango nodded, sighing and the two girls left the hut, Shippo running after them with a 'wait for me!'

"That could've gone better…" Miroku sighed.

"Aye, but it could've been worse," Kaede spoke.

"Yeah, I can feel the bump on my head form as we speak…" his head dropped in shame.

xXx

"Kagome," Sango, Shippo and Kagome were under the shade of the foliage, heading to the hot springs.

"Yes?" Kagome looked to her best friend with Shippo on her shoulder.

"Kouga showed up."

Kagome stopped walking. "What?"

"When Inuyasha ran off. Kouga came out of nowhere and helped me." Sango smiled, "He's really sweet for demon."

"Yeah, Ayame has a great man…" Kagome sighed deamily.

"Are they even together yet?"

"Hey, what's going on over there?" Shippo asked, pointing ahead of them.

"None of your business, mutt!"

"Oh, I'm not the mutt here!"

"Give it back or I'll kill you!"

"Like you ever could!"

"I so could!"

Sango and Kagome looked at each other and nodded. A hidden message was shared between the two of them. Shippo raised an eyebrow, not sharing the same mind of a woman. Kagome and Sango could recognize the two voices. Only two people they knew could squabble relentlessly like that.

Running forward, the girls came to a spot in the forest where a single tree was cut down to just a stump.

Sure enough, Kouga and Inuyasha were there.

It seems that Kouga was taunting Inuyasha, dodging out of Inuyasha's reach every time he came close.

Growling, Inuyasha launched at Kouga. He knocked him over and the two continued to wrestle around, claws digging into skin every now and then as a punch flew, making bruises form immediately.

Kouga knocked him away, slamming Inuyasha into ground but got back up. Using the Tessaiga, he unleashed the Kaze no Kizu, but Kouga 'strategically escaped' the blast.

"Stop it!" Kagome shouted, but then Kouga summoned Goraishi and missed Inuyasha when shooting off a lightning bolt. "What are you fighting over now?!" she tried again. Clenching her fists, she glared. Slowly letting air out through her nose, she then breathed in a huge gulp. Opening her mouth, Shippo smartly covered his ears, "OSUWARI!"

"Bitch!"

After the dust settled, there was an Inuyasha shaped hole in the ground.

Kagome walked over to Kouga and helped him off the ground. Kouga's Goraishi dissipated, and he smiled when he saw Kagome. "Hey, finally came to be my woman?"

"No Kouga, you already promised yourself to Ayame. Now what is all the commotion about?" Putting her hands on her hips, Kagome waited.

Kouga looked around, seeming confused that she was asking him, but suddenly he replaced his expression with a smirk. "Well you see, Kagome, mutt-face tried to steal something of mine."

"What?!" Sango, Shippo, and Kagome chorused.

"Uh… Yes! Yes, he did!" Kouga nodded overenthusiastically. "I was minding my own business when he suddenly jumped me and stole it out of my hands."

"What was it? Did you get it back?" Sango asked.

"Yes I did, thankfully. It was a present from my late mother…" he got this faraway look in his eyes, putting on this sad aura, to just add on to his lie. "My bracelet that I had when I was a little pup," Kouga pulled out Inuyasha's bracelet from an invisible pocket in his fur and showed it to the trio.

"That's just bullshit!" Inuyasha climbed out of the hole made from being forced into the ground so hard and growled.

"Inuyasha! How dare you try and steal something as precious as that!" Kagome stomped her foot.

"It's mine!" he defended.

"Oh, now you're lying?" Kagome crossed her arms, a very displeased look on her face.

"I'm not lying!"

"Mutt-face," Kouga intercepted. "Face it, you've lost."

"I haven't lost you stinking bastard! Stop hiding behind women!"

Kagome reeled back. "Oh, because women are only good as shields?"

"They're damn no good in fights!" Inuyasha blurted out.

Slack-jawed for a moment, everyone stared at Inuyasha. Kagome was the first to react with another 'osuwari' command. She then turned around and motioned for the others to follow her.

"I'm sorry that mutt tried to steal your last keepsake of your mother's, Kouga…" Kagome sympathetically placed her hand on Kouga's shoulder.

Inuyasha sat back up when he could breathe again. Clenching his fists to the point where he drew blood, he picked Tessaiga up and walked in the opposite direction.

He wants to kill something, and would rather kill it now! Inuyasha growled, eyes flashing red for a moment.


	4. The little valley

_Where is he, where is he, where is he?_

Trees flew by group by group, wind whistling in her ears. She ran as fast as she possibly could, a true emergency at hand. She needed to find him, and she needs to find him now.

Sliding to a halt, she looked left, then right.

She was pure white dog the size of a horse, and she frantically hopped back and forth on her paws. Sniffing the ground around a suspicious human shaped hole in the ground.

Suddenly perking up to a distant scream that was garbled and shrieked, she bolted off to the left.

The scene she came to was a disaster.

She knew this place. It was beautiful this time of year, normally. The flowers bloomed right into autumn and the sky was always clear. But what once started out as a beautiful meadow full of colorful autumn blossoms, was now a gruesome field caked in sour blood and jutted bones. Trees overturned, split apart and cracked. Grass was trampled and gouges of earth was overturned. Miasma and poison was heavy in the air. From scent, the large dog could tell that these corpses were all from demons.

In the middle of the field, there was a forgotten sword.

Running forward and turning into a summersault, she exited as a person. The girl, woman, had a round chin, and high cheekbones. She had rough, waist-length snow-white hair, pulled into a braid, save the two bits hung by a human's ear pulled into a small braid off her shoulders. The woman, looking no older than twenty five, also supported dog ears like those of her dog form. Though instead of fully silver, hers were tipped midnight black. Her eyes were a brilliant golden color, filled with emotion.

As she ran, her blue fire-rat haori with bell sleeves, though cut off at her elbows moved with her fluently. She wrapped the clothing around her body close, showing off her matured curves. The tie was with enlarged cloth, leaving tails of cloth behind her. It was a longer one, and she wore tight black pants underneath, hugging close to her strong, muscled legs. Neither did she wear any shoes, having clawed toes and clawed nails. Then, lastly, she had a silver dog tail, staying completely still.

She dropped to her knees quickly, ignoring the blood on the ground as she grasped the sword. It had a familiar torn hilt.

_Tessaiga, what are you doing here?_ she asked the sword mentally. She didn't receive any response other than the sword shaking slightly, as if the object could be scared.

Standing back up, the woman held Tessaiga close to her. Sniffing the air, she heard more screams further ahead, but they sounded more human than those of earlier. Heart beating fast, she shakily put Tessaiga in her belt next to a sword that had a neat hilt, wrapped in leather that was dyed purple.

Breathing in, then out slowly, she ran. Dreading what was ahead, and what she had to do, she ran the whole way.

The screams came from a small village. No more than fifty people. A good place, near the meadow; away from the forests that hid demons. It would normally be a really happy village with the sun shining overhead, it being not too cold out.

Mking her hesrt drop, she found them all slaughtered. Blood was sprayed everywhere she looked. Houses were torn down, splinters of wood for miles around. Bodies of the villagers were scattered, pieces of them meters away as they were slashed apart ruthlessly. Each and every one of their faces were frozen in terror.

Her tail curved around her legs and her ears flattened as she walked.

The smell of dead humans and livestock was thicker than the miasma within the field. She hated seeing such destruction and knowing she couldn't stop it.

_Why did this have to happen now? What did that mangy wolf do?_ she wondered to herself as she came to the middle of the disheveled village where a stone well sat, with a dead human hanging half inside it, his decapitated head perfectly inside the bucket.

A sudden gust of wind brought a scent to her attention.

Turning around revealed the man behind this bloodshed. He stood there with his long snow-white hair blowing furiously in the wind that started to pick up. What the female hanyou remembered being gold, was now a pair of turquoise eyes with blood red sclera. Where cheeks were once peach fuzz smooth, were now marred with purple jagged stripes, marking the demon blood being in control.

_What happened back there?_ was her thought train as the demon before her launched himself towards her, claws drawn, ready to kill one more.


	5. Conflicted

He trudged along as though drunk. He needed something more, some fresh meat to cleave into, to hear those magnificent screams! Nothing could match it, nothing!

But he couldn't find anyone, there was simply no more prey... What could he possibly do? Simply no good, a wasteland!

But yet! There was a flash of something white in the midst of all the red around. It attacked him!

How _dare_!

_No!_

He refused to be beat by this slim thing! He was a proud hunter, one who's never been beaten! He wouldn't rest until he heard their scream! Felt their blood on his hands!

Licking the blood between his claws, he pounced.

This prey had a very pretty shriek in particular, it was almost familiar and it tugged at something in his chest.

He didn't know if he liked it or not. What was the purpose of this feeling? Why did it feel like he knows this?

Shaking his head violently he charged.

With each hit he gave, he received. What was the point of this blood that wasn't his? It didn't taste nearly as good as any other, he didn't like it!

Suddenly he was on the ground, rolling and tussling with this one white thing, and he felt tears drop on him. Sudden dread washed over him, and he couldn't understand the importance of it.

As though two beings were occupying his mind, he rapidly argued with himself. He felt mad.

How could he do this to her?

_I've done it before! _

But then it was different, he was different then!

_NO!_

She's crying-

_NO_.

He should feel bad!

_I WILL NOT!_

Think, what is she saying, why is she talking to you?

That was it, he didn't do this thinking thing. He lived for bloodshed, why would he need anything else? It was all he needed in life!

He couldn't think on how he lived in the small hut by the river, where they lived after being kicked out of the manor. He doesn't remember the games of tag in the apple orchard. He doesn't remember the times where he blew up parts of the field in practice. He doesn't remember the game of ball they played every day.

Doesn't he?

Why bother handing him something shiny? It hummed, resonating with that weird feeling in his chest. Why?

Wait.

xx

_"Seishin, Inuyasha! Come inside, it's getting dark!" Grumbles of two young hanyous were heard over the nighttime music of the crickets._

_Identical kids ran towards a small hut where a beautiful woman stood patiently. She greeted the two kids with a hug each before ushering them inside._

xx

_Two children crying over a small grave by a flowered tree. The scene was placed with bright sky and sparkling lake, but the mood was nothing but sadness._

xx

_"Inu, I know you can do it!"_

_An invisible tattoo lit up from both palms._

_A blast of vibrant fire emerged._

xx

_"One… Two… Three… Four… Five. Alright, all I got to do is find you." A blindfold secured. A nod of preparation._

_Dog ears perking up to a giggle, "You'll never win!"_

xx

_"God damn, you win again, Inu! How did you get so good?"_

_"It's easy, Sei, I'm the better twin."_

_"INU!"_

_Laughter as a chase begun, one with the blindfold still on._

xx

_Two half demons_ _were walking side by side in a dark forest. "I think she's nice, her little sister is absolutely adorable!" she squealed. "You could just squeeze her and love her, and…"_

_"Sei, stop it."_

_"But Inu…"_

_"Keh," he crossed his arms._

xx

_A dog half demon being knocked into by another hanyou from behind; "Inuyasha! You've been released from the arrow! Oh kami, I am so, so sorry I allowed that bitch to seal you away!"_

_He was unusually silent._

_"Inu? How could I ever cheer you up?" Seishin asked rhetorically as she produced a blindfold and a small ball, leaving her chin upon Inuyasha's shoulder._

xx

_"Inu, for the last time, ditch that group and come with me! Well go on adventures like old times!"_

_"But what about Naraku?"_

_"I say beat him now, or leave it to the humans…"_

_"Keh."_

xXx

She panted breathlessly and wiped blood from her claws. The most difficult part was dealt with. Let's see if that beating knocked some sense into him… Looking a couple steps in front of her stood Inuyasha.

The two of them shed minimal blood, but it was still a violent fight. Neither would walk away without bruises or scars that would last a couple weeks.

Inuyasha didn't move from where he stood in the debris of what used to be a small hut. His eyes were focused on her and they constantly flashed from teal with a red sclera to gold. The large fangs and claws shrunk and the purple stripes vanished.

His eyes slowly slid to the Tessaiga in his hands and he blinked repetitively. They were golden again.

Confused, but not acting on it, he replaced the Tessaiga on his hip and surveyed the damage around him. Looking horrified at his claws, he found himself looking on a familiar face.

She smiled with tears in her eyes. "You're back," she dropped to her knees, utterly exhausted.


	6. Talk to me

"Seishin?" Inuyasha looked at the female on the ground, dread growing with realization.

She smiled and looked up, wiping the tears off her face. "You're back," she repeated.

He looked down to the blood on his hands and looked around the bloodied village. His eyes were wide and franticly looking all over, seemingly trying to find something that he could blame. He backed into a piece of wood that still stood and it shook him from his thoughts. Jumping out of the debris and taking a dash towards the forest, the entire valley was left in silence.

"Inuyasha!" Seishin cried after him, getting to her feet slowly and sighing. Holding onto her tail, she started to walk after him, letting the hanyou to have some time to calm down.

Se was interrupted by a demonic screech behind her. By scent, there was at least a dozen demons. Seishin wasted no time in removing her sword from her belt, twirling around and rushing forward to the first demon she saw.

Decapitating it with little effort, she landed on top of his toppling body and stabbed the sword into his body as she aimed her left palm to the next demon. Reciting an incantation in her head, a fire blast shot from her palm and hit the ground around the second demon in a ring. The demon looked smug that she 'missed', but when the demon tried to leave the ring, his skin slowly liquefied from sheer heat.

While that demon was smoldered to a pile of ash, she pranced from the first demon's body and transformed into her dog form. She launched skywards and ripped the wings from the flying demon with her teeth. Scratching it's eyes with her claws, she jumped down and transformed back. Holding her right hand out, palm facing her sword, she ran towards the fourth demon. Her sword flung from the dead demon's remains and flew into her open hand.

Avoiding a strike from an oni, she sliced through the fourth and fifth. The sixth was dealt by fire. Crying out, a long deep purple shadow came from her sword. It quickly wrapped itself around the seventh demon's neck and disappeared. The demon shortly after, started choking and his body melted right away from his bones.

Seishin ignored the painful wails as she sheathed her sword and hit her own fists together. An invisible mark on her forearm glowed black and suddenly two large slabs of stone crushed the next two demons.

Dodging flames, she stood and faced the other three demons. Sighing, she dug her claws into a wound that still bled. She flicked the blood towards the last demons and five blades of blood flew at the last three, killing them all.

She didn't get a single deep breath before she had to dodge the new comers. Taking a second to blink, she readied her sword and charged.

xXx

The sun was beginning to set as he trudged away from a bloody demon corpse. The wind blew lightly, but brought the cold chill of autumn, making it really set into my bones.

/_Something the matter?_/ Seishin's voice echoed around, a small marking glowing on his neck. He could tell that she was out of breath. She must have been attacked by a hoard as well. What the hell was it with all these demons?

He growled. "Oh nothing, everything is absolutely fucking peachy!" He shouted, sniffing the air for water.

/_That's when I know something is wrong._/

"Those damn hordes of demons," he grumbled as he approached the water source, taking off his fire-rat robe to wash the blood from a gash on his shoulder.

_/Do you know what is causing them to show up all of a sudden?/_

_Probably the whole 'I defeated Naraku' shit, he responded in kind, not wanting to be caught 'talking to himself.'_

_/Possible, are you hurt badly?/_

_Just a scratch._

_/I don't believe you, but alright./_

_Shut up._

_/You can talk to me about it, you know./_

_Don't want to._

_/I have quite a bit of convincing on my hands, huh?/_

_Keh._

_/So… what happened earlier? What set you off this time?/_

_Oh that bastard wolf stole Mother's bracelet!_

_/Wha-!/_

_Then, he had the guts to say it was his when Kagome showed up._

/_That bastard!_/

_I tried to deny it, but that motherfucker then sat me and Koga got escorted off by her._

_/How dare she! But... how are we going to get it back?/_

Deciding to not answer, he put his fire-rat back on, and faintly acknowledged the fact that the hole repaired itself already.

/_You sure you don't want to talk about it?_/ Seishin asked a couple minutes later, sounding as if she already knew the answer.

Inuyasha ignored her and walked into a clearing. It was quiet and no demon had been near it for days. Humans hadn't touched it in weeks. Letting out a breath, he sat down in the middle of it, watching the moon rise higher into the night sky.

"That fucking bastard…" he growled, rethinking the day's events.

Shaking his head, he laid back and watched the moon.


	7. Unsuspecting

_A couple months later…_

"Sesshomaru-sama! Where are we going now?" Jaken asked, tripping through the small amount of snow that fell that morning.

Sesshomaru ignored his servant and looked to the small child, half asleep on Ah-Un. "Rin," she perked right up and focused on her lord. "You will stay with the old miko at the village Inuyasha often dwells."

"Aw, Sesshomaru-sama, will you be staying too?" she asked.

He stayed silent, leading the two headed dragon through the snow. Sesshomaru had decided that Rin will stay at the small village in Edo during the winter as so the young girl doesn't catch her death in the cold. He had no warmer clothing for her and he didn't want to leave the girl with just any human.

Then he has a couple of demons to track. Thinking of the situation they brought only served to rise his temper.

Soon, they arrived at their destination. The villagers who stayed outside, most likely preparing for any upcoming storms, quickly ran inside at the sight of the demon lord.

"Heh! Pesky humans should run and hide from Sesshomaru-sama! You're all in his way!" Jaken was, however, cut off by a rock colliding with the back of his head.

The ride to Kaede's hut was silent. The old miko came out right as the hut was in sight, no doubt sensing his unmistakable demonic aura.

"What brings ye to this small village? Inuyasha isn't here," the one-eyed woman explained.

"I'm staying with you for the winter!" Rin proudly stated. "It's alright with you, isn't it?" she asked second later, remembering she probably didn't have permission.

Kaede seemed surprised. "Ye trust me with your ward?" she looked at Sesshomaru.

He simply inclined his head and turned to leave.

"Is Ah-Un going with you, Sesshomaru-sama?" Rin asked, though she was still sitting on them and Ah-Un didn't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon.

Sesshomaru took his time leaving and entering the forest, the whole time his temper rising higher. He really shouldn't have let them get away with it the first time…

He growled, and Jaken jumped. He squeaked nervously and fell back several miles, to where he deemed himself safe. A growling Sesshomaru was way worse than a smiling Sesshomaru!

Sesshomaru needed to pass the well to get to his destination, and unfortunately, someone was occupying the well clearing. Sesshomaru didn't notice right away who it was, which really meant he needed silence and a chance to regain his composure.

Though instead, the furious lord of the Western lands took the opportunity to attack the unsuspecting Inuyasha.


	8. Rocky introductions

It was mid-day, late winter, with the sun high in the sky; there was a mere foot and a half of snow on the ground from this morning's dump. Sango and Kagome, decked in winter clothing, were out on a walk through Inuyahsa's Forest to blow off some steam from Miroku's groping habits when they came to the well clearing. To their shock and surprise, the well was in shambles.

The well was crushed, caved in with snow, rocks, and ice. The wood was splintered out all over the clearing. The snow was disturbed like two great warriors were at play. But they must have been demons, for there were a couple trees uprooted or broken apart. Fresh blood was spilt on the snow, dying it crimson. Little blood was spilled from the first warrior, by the two shades of red. He must have come victorious to the second, who spilled a lot, and made a path leading into the forest.

In a daze, Kagome walked to the well and collapsed to the ground, crying. They were all working to find a way to get Kagome back to the future, but how could they if they didn't have the well? Sango lowered Hiraikotsu to the ground and hugged Kagome by the shoulders.

"H-how could… W-who d-did this?" Kagome wailed.

"Don't worry, Kagome. We'll find out who did this," Sango comforted her distressed 'sister' as she has come to think her as. "The blood is fresh, so whoever did this must be near."

Kagome dried her tears and looked to the path leaving the clearing. No one could get very far with that much blood spilling. She climbed to her feet and nocked an arrow to her bow and started following the path of blood, still crying.

Sango picked up Hiraikotsu, faintly noticing that Kirara didn't follow them like usual. Where could she be? Sango thought as she caught up with her venturing friend on a mission.

The blood started in a solid line, wavering left to right, the warrior stumbling in the shin level or higher snow. Then, the blood started to leave spaces in between drops, like it was clogging or being stopped from bleeding with a bandage or cloth.

Soon, they came to the Goshinboku, the sacred tree, where the blood trail lead to a slumbering Inuyasha. He sat, eyes closed, leaning his back against the tree that held him for fifty years. At the base where he sat, the snow was gone in a perfect circle, enough space for him. The roots were not under him, but resting against his side, and one actually grew up against the trunk and held his head straight as if it had cradled him to sleep.

Inuyasha made no move to show that he knew of Sango and Kagome's arrival, not even a flick of a dog ear. He sat leaning against the up-grown root, and held one hand to his stomach, the red fire-rat robes a deeper red color in several spots, telling of injury. He had an ear that was ripped and missing the tip, leaving it to spill blood down his head, changing the color of his snowy white hair. He had blood streaking from a cut at his brow, and bruises at his neck.

His skin was a little paler than usual, and he looked thinner than Sango had last seen him.

Still angry at him, and believing it was he who destroyed the well, Kagome charged the arrow she had nocked and called the bleeding hanyou's name once, filled with execration.

The hanyou's golden amber eyes opened and settled his sight on Kagome and Sango. Instantly, he envisioned Kikyo in the same pose. He looked so vulnerable, and pained. The fire was gone from his eyes and he shifted like he was getting ready to get up.

Kagome never wavered her aim. Sango lifted the Hiraikotsu, poised to swing.

The hanyou got to his hands and knees, and coughed. He slowly rocked to his feet and got up with nothing more than a hiss of pain. He faced the demon exterminator and miko.

"Why'd you do it?" Kagome shouted, determined to get answers before killing him.

"What are you talking-" he started.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about!" she screamed.

"No I don't, wench," he stated. He sounded cold and monotonous like his aloof elder-brother, not sounding much like himself at all. The only thing that sounded even closely Inuyasha-like was the added 'wench' insult.

"My name isn't wench! Tell me why you did it!"

"I have no clue what you're blabbering about," his voice strained, but frustration there.

"Yes, you do!"

"No, I don't!"

"Why'd you destroy the well?"

"The well got destroyed?" he seemed reminded of something that just passed.

"Yes, and you did it!"

"I didn't destroy the well."

"What happened to it then!"

"Apparently it got destroyed when-" he got cut off

"No shit, Sherlock!"

Pausing a moment, he looked very confused, "Who's she rock?"

"It's Sherlock you loaf!" Of course they wouldn't know him, she had almost forgotten she hadn't taught them everything about the future when they had been friends. But that didn't matter now.

None of it did.

"I'm not bread, you idiot."

"It's an insult!"

"Go insult someone else, wench!" he raised his voice ever so slightly, growling like the two girls were wasting his time.

"Jackass!"

"Bitch!"

"Ladies!" Sango intervened. "Inuyasha, tell us. Why, did you destroy the well?" she asked with a deadly glint in her eyes as she readied her stance.

"I'll tell you again, you good for nothing fake friends, I didn't destroy the well. That happens to not be on my to-do list of my pathetic half-breed life," he retorted. Somewhat muted to what his temper would normally be. He was loosing energy by the minute, swaying in deariness.

"I don't believe you, mutt!" Kagome shouted as she let the arrow fly.

It moved so fast through the air that Inuyasha only had time to avoid it by a couple inches, as it landed in the bark of the Goshinboku. The purifying glow of it magnified and burned his face. Being thrown away from it into the snow, his eyes started to burn with an intensity so much higher than he's ever felt before.

He closed his eyes and pressed his heels of his hands onto his eye lids, but nothing relieved the burning sensation. He slowly staggered to his feet, still holding his face and faced the two girls determined to kill him.

He blamed Sesshomaru, he knew he must have been behind the well breaking. He didn't remember much of the fight. He remembers walking by the well for the first time in months, suddenly a tight grip was squeezing his neck, and the world became dim.

With much back and forth of blows and poison miasma thrown in his face, he hadn't been dealt a good hand on that fight.

Today was really not his day. He'd rather spend another fifty years on the Goshinboku than deal with all this.

Getting hit by an arrow to the shoulder knocked him out of his musings. Attaching him to the tree behind his back with three more arrows to his clothes reminded him of the time when Kikyo did this...

Fumbling to grab the arrows without needing to open his burning eyes, he fell to the ground, face in the snow. The cold substance numbed his face, and it felt a little better. Could he just stay here a while? Maybe they'll think he's dead and leave…

Bringing his to sudden thought process to a halt, he had to remind himself that he just thought that. He would rather his previous friends think he was dead. But they're not really friends if they try to kill you… and I loved you, Kagome…

A foot kicked him to push him over. The broken rib protested. He was sent tumbling over the snow with another bruising kick.

"Osuwari," the dreaded command sounded a second before the familiar weight pulled Inuyasha fast through the snow, slamming his beaten body into the hard, frozen ground.

Accidently letting out a whimper, he heard someone giggling. "Oh, Kagome, do that again. He made a funny noise. The great Inuyasha whimpered!" Sango said the last part sarcastically.

Another pang hit his heart. His eyes stung with salty tears aggravating them.

"Osuwari," Kagome was glad to comply, and he was forced down again. An unseen rock was digging into his wound and the pain was nearly unbearable. The snow was soft and melting with his rising body heat, soaking into the fire rat and making him shiver.

"Again!" Sango squealed.

"Of course!" With near three minutes of the repeating force, he felt his back crack worryingly. Any more than this hundred and his back could break, leaving the possibility of temporary paralysis.

This wouls be too much for anyone. All this pain and betrayal, it was bringing back memories from his childhood.

He faintly heard all the insults that the two girls spoke for what they planned what to do next. His head was beginning to throb with dizziness from blood loss and the growing migraine.

"He's so annoying… What should we do now?"

"I don't know, what do mutts deserve?"

"Please, he's just a stupid half-breed."

"Right. So, what now?"

"Get rid of him?"

The Hiraikotsu was thrown down onto his back and he whimpered when the pain multiplied. With it now fractured, he won't be able to withstand his own weight.

"Brother?" their whispering was interrupted by a worried female call.

Inuyasha pushed up with his hands, and was scared to notice that his vision was almost completely gone, it was dim and was swimming further to darkness.

Keeping burning eyes open a crack, the only thing visible was the girls shifting back and forth, looking for the source of the call.

"Where are you, brother?" the female call came again. Soon, the bushes were rustling. Sango picked up Hiraikotsu, relieving Inuyasha of extra weight, and Kagome nocked another arrow.

"Seriously, brother, I can feel your distress! Stop scaring me and answer!" the call was close enough that Inuyasha could finally place the voice to a face.

He smiled, albeit a small smile, but a smile nonetheless.

Inuyasha sometimes forgot that she was able to pick up on his emotions through the one mark. They could feel when the other was distressed, scared, happy, or annoyed. Right now, Inuyasha could tell she was really scared and worried.

The rustling stopped and Kirara jumped out of the bushes, in her small kitten form. She sat in the snow, immediately starting to sink down. She blinked her red eyes a couple times then got up and resolved to sit on Inuyasha opposed to jumping into Sango's waiting arms.

With Inuyasha immersed into the snow completely now, all you saw was Kirara. It looked like she was sitting on a rock rather than a person.

"Kirara? Where have you been? Come here," Sango started to walk closer, having already attached the strap to Hiraikotsu and swung it over her shoulders. Kirara hissed protectively, arching her back and flicking her two cream yellow tails furiously. Sango backed up in surprise. "K-Kirara?" she asked.

The bushes ruffled again, "Brother? Where are you? Kirara, where are you taking me? I thought we were looking for brother?" the voice came again.

A woman, physically young came through the bushes and froze when she saw Sango and Kagome.

The woman looked a lot like Inuyasha, Kagome and Sango begun to notice.

After standing there in silence for a couple moments, she spoke up. Her voice was a little weak from what must have been hours of shouting. "What are you staring at?" she placed her hands on her hips as her silver dog tail slowly whipped back and forth in irritation.

"Do all dogs have tails?" Kagome managed to ask, severely distracted by the tail, just like with Inuyasha's ears when she first found him.

"Dog demons?" she cocked her head. "Yeah, all dog demons, half or full, have tails."

Sango glanced to Inuyasha, wondering if that was true.

"Who're you?" Kagome asked, preparing to fire.

"Oh, I didn't introduce myself?" she touched her chin with a claw. "Oh, oops…" she shrugged it off, replacing her hand to her hip. "I'm Seishin, a dog half demon. And you?"

"Kagome, a miko; and Sango, a demon exterminator," Kagome introduced, not moving from the defensive.

"Kagome and Sango… Where did I hear those names before…" Seishin crossed her arms, closed her eyes, and her tail started swishing faster. She wasn't affected at all by the miko and demon exterminator titles.

"We defeated Naraku. The story is everywhere," Sango offered, a little sarcastically.

"Right! I hate you two," she seemed to be reminding herself, her voice getting stronger with hatred. She held a grim look on her face.

"W-what?" Sango and Kagome sputtered.

"You two are very mean to some in your group," she stated, not being specific. "Now, Kirara." Seishin changed her focus looking around the Goshinboku clearing. "We need to find my brother," she started walking closer, but Sango and Kagome blocked the woman's path.

"Who's your brother? Maybe we can help you find him?" Kagome asked, not liking someone hating her.

"No, I think I know exactly where he is, and you wouldn't want to help him…" she said grimly, glaring at the two humans.

"Pardon? We're offering help, why not?" Sango didn't like being hated either. Now the two were really curious about who the little brother was.

"I said," she started exasperated, "No. I know where he is. Now move, so I can get him, or do I need to use force?" Seishin growled, touching the hilt of her sword.

Kagome did move a little and motioned to Sango. But Sango didn't move. "How do you know Kirara?" she asked.

"I met her because of Inu," Seishin pushed Sango to the side and she ended up in the snow, getting her kimono wet. Seishin walked through the snow to Kirara, not looking in the least cold or affected by the snow. "Did you find him, Kirara?" she asked. Kirara mewled and hopped off of Inuyasha onto Seishin's shoulder.

Seishin looked down to where Inuyasha was in the snow, and kneeled down, ignoring the cold prickling her knees and lightly touched Inuyasha's back.

"Brother?" Seishin asked, whispering. "Are you awake?"

Kagome looked to Sango with wide eyes. "Inuyasha has a sister?" she asked.

"Little mutt lied! He said he only had a brother…" Sango grumbled as she got to her feet.

Seishin rocketed to her feet and glared murderously at her. "You are the liar!" Her eyes flared with hatred. "The subject probably never came up or he didn't want you to know!" Seishin just snapped, tired with the dancing conversations the two other girls always lead.

Sango and Kagome sputtered.

Seishin turned back to Inuyasha. "What'd they do to you, Inu?" she asked.

"Sei?" Inuyasha asked hoarsely. Last he saw was his sister's caring face and moving her hand to his cheek before it went dark.

"Hey to you too," Seishin smiled. She stroked his cheek as she watched as the mid-day light stopped reflecting in his golden eyes. She felt his distress grow. "Shh, I'm right here," she calmed.

"Can I see your house now?" Inuyasha asked what he's been wanting her to say yes to for a long time. Apparently, while he was sealed, she built a house in the deepest part of Inuyasha's Forest, so she was never far from him.

"Yeah, let's go home," she turned him over, noting the blood at his torso and him not reacting to her touching his legs. She picked him up by slipping her arms under his knees and shoulders. He whimpered in pain and she whispered sweet promises of taking care of him.

Kagome and Sango could only watch as Inuyasha's sister walked away deep into the thicket with the strong half demon in her arms with Kirara still on her shoulder.

After they disappeared from sight, they gathered themselves and started trudging back to the village.


	9. An explosive dream

The two girls were welcomed by the rest of them and surprisingly Rin when they got back to the hut.

"Welcome back, Lady Sango, Kagome-san," Miroku smiled, placing his soup bowl down.

Sango huffed, placed the Hiraikotsu by the wall and took the bowl Kaede offered. Kagome said a quick 'hello' and put her quiver and bow to the wall before also accepting a bowl and the two girls sat pensively.

"What seems to be the problem?" Kaede asked wisely.

"Um… Kaede-baa-san, do you… know another half demon around here?" Kagome asked.

Shippo, Miroku and Rin all gave her a weird look, when Kaede responded. "I know surprisingly a few, any in particular besides Inuyasha, Jinenji, Shiori, Moegi, Dai, Roku, Shion, Asagi, and Ai?"

"Um… Seishin…?" Kagome said uneasy.

"Seishin… It seems to ring a bell, anything to jog my memory?"

"Long silver hair, dog ears tipped black... You know… Inuyasha's sister," Kagome added the last one forcibly.

"Inuyasha's sister, huh? Oh! Sei, I remember her. Quiet, but loud when she wants to. Very sweet girl, very protective of Inuyasha."

"Inuyasha has a sister?" Miroku, Rin, and Shippo simultaneously asked in varying degrees of shock.

They can all agree that they were surprised to hear about Sesshomaru being related to Inuyasha, but having a sister too? That's new, and quite unexpected.

They could only imagine what she'd be like.

xXx

Deep in the forest, Seishin walked up to a house that was built in a tree. It started with stairs that wound up an old, large tree and ended in its branches. If you squinted, you could see a house that was in multiple places around the branches with bridges in between each room. There were four rooms up there, including just a platform as the highest spot. Nothing was on the platform, most likely for sunbathing and star gazing. The first room was the one that was connected to a porch that connected to the stairs and had a fire pit. The second room looked like a bedroom, with a trunk and futon. The third room was like the second, a guest room. The fourth room had barrels and trunks, a storeroom it seems.

Seishin started her ascent and told Inuyasha to go to sleep since they were at their destination.

"I ain't goin' ta sleep 'till ya tell me 'bout your home," he protested, slurred by sleep and pain.

Seishin smiled, and nevertheless started telling her brother about all the lonely nights, the demons trying to get in the house, and all the times she wished that she brought her brother home with her. She told him that it was their home, together and that she promises to not let the rag tag group of humans and demons he used to call friends, hurt him anymore. That got a protest from Kirara, but Inuyasha have a chuckle, which after caused him to cough and cringe in pain.

By the time that Seishin climbed to the guest room, she went through her favorite story of the house, the time when she was building it. She'd start the day by building, go visit him at lunch, then go back to building, then sleep when she was tired.

Kirara set herself down on the floor, in a corner and watched as Seishin set him down on the futon, and take off his precious Tessaiga and fire-rat robes, revealing a hidden dog tail that was snowy white like his hair, and had a black tip matching his sister's ears. She started tending to Inuyasha's wounds, not gaining a single protest.

Seishin mumbled to herself as she worked, trying to figure out which wound was worse and which would take longest to heal. She tenderly wrapped him up in bandages, taking her time as she complained and told more stories.

As she went, she washed the dirt from him with a cloth. She wrapped his entire torso from the excessive wounds.

Kirara was so happy that Inuyasha didn't protest like with Kagome. Kirara wasn't the only one to get so tired of their fighting amd some days she felt the want to bite some sense into them… This betrayal thing was going too far. Kirara was disappointed that Sango was taking part in this. She didn't expect mannerisms so mean and cruel from her kind owner.

She thought that maybe had they known od her sooner, Seishin should have come along with all of them. She would have kept Inuyasha in line, and probably have trained him much earlier and he would be much more disciplined in fighting.

She watched as Seishin gave him a different pair of clothes and when she was not even halfway finished, Inuyasha was asleep. Kirara watched as Seishin tenderly pulled a blanket over his beaten form and went down to her room to sleep.

xx

_The sky was dark, covered by a veil of grey clouds. Small droplets of water begun to fall from the sky, drizzling down a small boy's dog ears._

_The small boy, no older than six was running through a dark forest. Crashing around wild bushes, he panted hard, like he has been running for hours._

_A second pair of footsteps came right beside the small boy, a young girl the same age, height and size as the boy came running in perfect rhythm._

_These two were twins, both young, but not so innocent. Having seen terrible things, being centered down in torturous acts, they were both worn._

_"It's still… behind us!" the girl wheezed as she ran alongside her brother._

_"Why… do they chase us?" he asked in return._

_"Because… we're half-breed mages… of course they don't like us!" she jumped over a log in sync with her twin._

_"Conjure a spell… then!" he ducked under a branch._

_"I'm… too worn out… You do it!"_

_A crash broke the otherwise silent forest. A tree toppled over behind them from the force of the creature._

_Both simultaneously looking back, they saw the beady red eyes, alit with rage, staring them down. A large mouth salivated in temptation. The drops ominously fell harder._

_"You… don't seriously think… my magic is strong enough… for that… that thing?" he shouted, pointing._

_"I believe in you! Mother might have taught me first… but it is obvious you are… just as strong as me! Mother… taught me first… because I am… older! Don't be a dummy!"_

_"I'll try…"_

_"Don't try, do!"_

_"I… I'll do it."_

_The boy stopped running and turned to the glowing eyes of the demon. He held his hands out, placing one palm on top of the back of the other hand. An invisible mark on his shoulder glowed a bright red from underneath his tattered clothes._

_It was then that he closed his eyes in concentration, and started speaking under his breath_.

xx

Kirara woke to the sound of whimpers. She got to her feet and padded over to Inuyasha. He was asleep, but it seemed he was dreaming something awful from the sweating.

Inuyasha yelled something incomprehensible in his sleep, and a spot on his shoulder glowed red through the suikan.

Fire flickered out in the air, growing larger flames and the room grew hotter and humid. When the flames looked ready to expand into an explosion, a shout came from the other side of the room.

A blue box appeared around the fire just as it exploded. Black smoke condensed the box and Kirara saw Seishin bend over with a relieved sigh.

The older inu hanyou grabbed the blue box and walked over to the window and threw it outside. She snapped, and the box disappeared, leaving the black smoke to billow upwards into the morning sky.

"You're too strong to use those inside…" Seishin berated as she sat next to Inuyasha. He had this satisfied look on his face, and he seemed to steep into a more peaceful sleep.

Kirara looked to Seishin, confusion etched through her entire being. She cocked her head and meowed.

"Oh, Kirara, you're confused aren't you?" the demon cat nodded. "Well… I'll tell you. You know how our mother was a human, right?" Seishin asked.

Kirara meowed.

"Well, she wasn't a normal human, she was a mage. She could perform magic and such." Kirara nodded. "Well, Inuyasha and I had inherited her powers, okay?"

"Meow!"

"It's meant to be a secret, alright?"

"Mrow?"

"Well, it's not good for others to know, because demons hunt after these types of powers."

"Meow?"

"Inuyasha was probably having a dream about a memory of these times. It was instinct for both of us to protect each other, so he preformed the spell. Luckily I caught it, that one tends to explode… It would have set this tree on fire, and I would kill him."

"MROWL!"

"Not literally, of course!"

Kirara just blinked. "Meow mew, mrowl, mew mew?"

"The glow? Well, there are these invisible markings, call them tattoes or runes if you want, that activate certain spells and the such. I don't fully understand them… Inuyasha and I don't like to rely on our mage powers often." Seishin stood up. "Well, I should go get something to eat for breakfast, what do you say, Kirara?"

"Meowl!"

"Come on then!"


	10. Hilltop confort

The next couple days, Kirara continued to watch as Seishin came in and take care of Inuyasha. She was patient with him, and listened to him when he complained or had something to say that was important to him. It was very different from the human group who often cut off what Inuyasha wanted to say.

Though one day when Inuyasha was feeling better, Seishin said she'd be back soon, that she had something to take care of. He protested, of course. Seishin simply put a damp cloth on his forehead, fixed the blanket over him, told him to rest, and that Kirara was there to protect him and get him anything he needed.

To prove that statement, Kirara came up to the newly sightless boy and laid by his broken ear, licking his cheek. Inuyasha scoffed and started to pet her with his uninjured arm.

Seeing the situation under control, Seishin said she'd bring something back to eat and she'd be back by nightfall. She got small snores and a mew in response.

Seishin walked through her home, thinking in between stored meat, or berries for supper. She's started gathering food over the fall months to have things to eat during the winter months, and now she's afraid she might be out before the herds migrate back because of Inuyasha and Kirara staying.

Deciding that she was going to be late home if she ran normally, she transformed into her dog form. It was a difficult way since she was also human, but she learned. She was in the middle of teaching Inuyasha, but now she's been put back in schedule because of those despicable humans.

She constantly wonders what half demons have done to deserve this kind of treatment from anyone different than them. Why was it thought that hey were such abominations that they shouldn't deserve to live?

She dropped to her paws and shot off, as fast as she could. If you were to be standing when she zoomed by, you'd only see a blur of silver passing.

It wasn't even an hour before she slowed to a trot, heading into the village. She stopped at the outskirts and transformed back, to try and appear more friendly. Smoothing out her windswept tail, she begun to sniff the air, determining where the miko and exterminator were located.

She walked through the cold, seemingly empty village, seeing the villagers peek out from their huts. She heard their comments, and each stung.

"Look, another half breed.

"Really? Must be another one of those weak ones..."

"We just finished all the reconstruction from Naraku's damage, why do we need another trampling through!"

"Oh, another monster…"

"I thought we just got rid of our pest problem, let's call miss Kagome over!"

This was Seishin's first time in this village in over thirty years. It looked so different…

Oh, looks like Kaede-san's hut is in the same spot, she remarked. She knocked on the wood and waited a second before entering through the mat door.

"Kaede-san, I apologize for the intrusion," Seishin bowed once she was standing in front of the raised landing.

She looked up and quickly looked around the hut. Seeing Kaede, who was sitting behind the fire, facing the door, with Miroku to her left.

To the monk's right was Sango. To Kaede's right was the current subject of her current hate, Kagome. To Kagome's left was the small girl, Rin, ward of her half-brother, Sesshomaru if she was correct.

Lastly, in Kagome's lap was Shippo, Runt she liked to call him.

"No intrusion at all, please, take a seat if you wish. I haven't seen you in a long while. My, have you grown," she praised like a proud grandmother.

Seishin accepted her seat request and sat facing her, on the other side of the fire, warming her hands briefly before they were taken into another pair of hands.

She looked at the person who took them. It was the monk. Seishin sighed, knowing what was coming.

"My, your such a beautiful lady. Might I know if-" he was cut off by being punched by Sango. He landed on the floor, dizzy. "My apologies, dearest Sango!" he wailed.

Seshin glared at Sango briefly before looking to Kaede. "Thank you Kaede-san, though I see you have company, which is perfect. I need to talk to each of them later, if that is alright?" Seishin asked, smiling nicely.

"Of course, Sei. So, I'm guessing right when you know each of them?"

"I know them, but they don't know me. Might you introduce me?" Seishin smiled mischievously.

"Of course, child. Miroku, please sit up… Thank you. Now, you all know Inuyasha… I now have the pleasure to introduce you all to his older sister, Seishin."

The silence that pursued was thick. Kagome kept fidgeting and Sango too. Miroku had that 'I'm in trouble' look on his face and Shippo was glaring. Rin and Kaede seemed to be the only pleased ones there.

Rin stood and up turned to Seishin, bowing properly. Breaking the silence, she said, "Hello Miss Sei, Rin can call you that, right? My name is Rin. I am very excited to meet you! Have you seen Master Inuyasha anywhere? Rin misses him."

"You're so adorable," Seishin hugged Rin, and Rin happily returned it. Seishin placed Rin on her lap and continued, "It's a pleasure meeting you Rin, and I have in fact seen Inuyahsa lately. This morning, in fact, but he's sick right now, so maybe you can come with me to see him when he's feeling better, okay?" she asked.

"Can Rin go, Kaede-san?" she asked, almost bouncing on Seishin's legs in excitement.

"Aye, child. Might I ask what ails Inuyasha?" Kaede looked concerned.

Seishin stopped smiling. She adverted her gaze, "I'd rather not speak it with such young ears here. But I'd be happy to oblige later, perhaps? As long as I leave to be home before nightfall, I can stay."

"I'll talk to you before you leave then. Do you wish to talk to them alone? I'll take Rin and Shippo with me to the shrine up the stairs to make sure the shrine is prepared for a storm. Come Rin, Shippo," Kaede got up and grabbed a blanket to keep Rin warm.

"Actually, I need to speak to Shippo too."

"Alright then, I'll be back in an hour. Come on Rin, let's check the shrine." Rin got up and the two put on their shoes and left bundled for the snow.

"Seishin-san, whatever for do you need to speak with us alone?" Miroku asked respectfully.

"The subject is of Inuyasha's well being."

"What does that baka's well being have to do with us?" Shippo asked.

"Well, it has come to my attention of all the mishaps that have been placed against him."

"Might I ask you to specify?" Miroku asked again.

Taking a breath, she seemed to prepare herself, "I'd like to ask you all to cease your stupid behaviour."

"Our stupid behaviour? What about his!" Shippo asked, appalled that he was called stupid. He hasn't done anything wrong! It was all Inuyasha! Whenever Shippo had said something on their journey, it was Inuyasha that had always started the fights!

Okay so maybe sometimes he started the pranks, but Inuyasha totally deserves it all! He's the stupid meanie-head!

"If maybe just once you were kind enough to wonder why he was saying or doing a certain thing you'd know you were the stupid ones," Seishin reasoned, trying to get the others to understand without it escalating to an argument.

"I hardly believe," Kagome interjected, "That we have done anything to warrant his ridiculous attitude towards us."

Throwing her hands up sarcastically, she made an 'oh' sound before ticking things off on her fingers. "Maybe teasing him, insulting him, not listening to what he has to say, turning down his ideas, siding with the enemy?" Turning to Shippo she she pointed out specifically, "Pranking him constantly," and to Kagome, "Abusing the command-"

"I don't abuse it!" Kagome cut in, "It was trusted to me to keep him in line. He only wanted to kill me in the beginning!"

"Didn't you stop to think what his situation might've been when he was sealed?"

"I didn't know, so it didn't matter."

"It should've mattered, he's a person too."

Kagome scoffed, "Doesn't act like it."

"See, that right there is where you're wrong. He isn't acting a certain way for nothing, maybe he wants attention?"

"Well some days he doesn't deserve it," crossing her arms she turned away from Seishin.

Sighing, seeing that she wasn't going to get through Kagome today, she looked at an equally stubborn Shippo. Sango had been quiet this whole time, and Seishin wondered if that was because she sided with Kagome or because she feared her friend's wrath were she to disagree.

Seishin believed that she'd have to find a moment alone with the exterminator to find out what she believed.

She decided to speak up, "A half demon's life is not an easy one. I don't expect you to sympathize, seeing as you can't even trust each other, but maybe you will learn... There is always another side to the story and most of the times it's hard to understand. I get that, demon customs are odd," Seishin thought back to that time when Koga was trying to convince Kagome that she was his woman. It didn't go over well with Inuyasha's demon side, as it was ordinary for two men to fight over a female.

He was trying to protect her, but Kagome only punished him. Kagome was weak to kidnappings and she didn't try to fix that, not once. She had gone along with it once, if the story that Inuyasha had told her was right. She couldn't believe how lax of her own self she was! This journey could have been disastrous had someone more sensible had come along. Thank god for Miroku and Sango in their intelligent moments.

Seishin didn't doubt that they all would be dead if not for one of the 'group' at one point. It served to remind her of the times when she and Inuyasha were young. There were many a moments where she feared that one of them would come out dead, but thankfully one always came to the rescue of the other.

She would be dead if it weren't for Inuyasha. After their mother died, they only had each other to care for, to live for. They both had almost given up when she had died. They were out fishing when they were five. Bandits had come to their hut and stole anything and everything of value, which was mostly old things that their mother was allowed to take with her when she was thrown out of her home for conceiving half demons.

They stripped her down to nothing but her nightgown, stole her robes, slashed her down her arms with their swords and then and only after they kicked her a couple hundred times, did they bash her head into a tree, killing her.

It was a brutal scene to come back to. The two of them were in such shock they didn't realize they had been followed by some of the villagers. They had chased away the two children, leaving them with no home.

Climbing to her feet she walked close to the door. "I don't want to hear a word from you pompous good for nothing jerks, but just, think back. What did Inuyasha do to deserve this punishment?" Seishin stopped for a moment. "I don't mind you monk," and with that, Seishin walked out the door.

The silence was harsh. No one dared to say a word aloud. It would just start an argument, they just knew it. The group was torn in two, and held didn't want to bother trying to fix it.

Miroku couldn't stop thinking about how she had said that she didn't mind him and not them. Are they really that bad in her mind? Then she also didn't say anything on Inuyasha's whereabouts, was ahead avoiding telling Kagome? He hasn't been told the whole story, and he needed answers, and he hoped she wouldn't mind answering them.

Sango was not on the same track, she had noticed how most of the conversation had been directed towards Kagome. Poor Kagome, it's not her fault Inuyasha is childish. Thinking back, she had to admit that she did say those terrible things to him earlier for a reason… It's just that he's so moody and she want him to be a certain way...

Shippo, however, was angry. Crossing his arms in a huff he decided he never wanted to speak to another half demon again. They're all so troublesome! Who cares if he holds onto his childhood a little longer? He was small enough to pass it off, Inuyasha was just being stupid as always.

Miroku jumped to his feet and suddenly ran out the door, managing to put some shoes on before getting out.

He caught up to Seishin as she was climbing the stairs to the shrine. "Seishin-san!" he called, making her stop to allow him to catch up.

"Hello, Miroku," she greeted, resuming her climb.

"Hello, now, Seishin-san, I can't help but wonder why have we never met you before?" he matched her pace.

"I guess Inu was making sure that you people would never hurt me like you hurt him… I'm guessing, sometimes it's just hard to know exactly what he's was thinking. It was like with Kikyo, I never met her until she was turned into a clay pot." Seishin remembered the days that Inuyasha and she would talk about Kikyo and Kaede. "Though I did meet Kaede-san on several occasions, Kikyo was apparently very different to how she was when she was revived…"

"Tht's understandable… Trough I'm glad Inuyasha wasn't as alone as he seemed to be."

"I am as well. We never really had friends back then..."

"Were you two always together?"

"Yes, we were inseparable."

"So he trusts you so completely?"

"Remarkably, yes. I've never seen him so attached to anything other than my attention…" she laughed.

"Not even your mother?"

"Well, I guess we're a tie."

Miroku stifled a chuckle as the two of them reached the top of the stairs. Seishin quickly spotted Kaede and started walking towards her.

The shrine was locked up tight, boards covering most entrances, and Rin was happily listening to Kaede. It seemed they finished up early and stared sharing stories.

"Ah, Sei," Kaede noticed their approach not too long after. "Did you all have a nice talk?"

Sitting next to the old woman, she explained how it went, offering her next an explanation of what happened to Inuyasha. "Kirara came to me one morning, very distressed about something…"

_Seishin was finishing some berries and swinging her legs over a branch when a meow grabbed her attention from below the tree._

_Se jumped down and asked, "Kirara, what are you doing here? Is something the matter?" Seishin knew that she felt unease in her from her brother, but took it as a warning from the new moon that has just passed last night. But the unease turned sour into worry and distress. Then it became pained and hurt._

_Kirara, Seishin, and Inuyasha have a mutual agreement that whenever Inuyasha needs help, Kirara was to come find Seishin. Only if it was very serious._

_Inuyasha was nowhere in sight, so Seishin took it for worse._

_Kirara mewled unhappily. She trotted off into the bushes. Seishin did her best to not lose her and started to worry. Kirara kept this up for a while and soon she begun to sniff around, like she lost the scent trail._

_Seishin started to sniff, trying to look for Inuyasha. That's when she heard voices._

_She heard her brother's unmistakable whimper._

_"That's an ugly noise. He was almost better when he was complaining that it didn't hurt."_

_"Why did we befriend him?"_

_"Especially since he allowed the well to be destroyed by his hands."_

_"He probably went full demon, and we thought he'd change."_

_"I guess the only good half demon alive is Jinenji."_

_"Don't forget Shiori."_

_"Oh, she was cute."_

_"The problem with half-breeds is that they attract attention and we get thrown out of inns…"_

_"That's such a let-down…"_

_"We should have ditched him long ago…"_

_"True, it would have been better, less attention from crowds in villages..."_

_"I'm glad I'm over him. What a waste of my time."_

_"Let's go, want some soup to warm up?"_

_"That'd be great, don't for-"_

_Seishin interrupted, not being able to take anymore with a call of, "Brother?"_

"-And when I entered the clearing, I found him with them two."

"How is he?" Kaede asked, worried.

"Well, with a ripped ear, poisoned lacerations, abdominal wound, bruises, broken arm, fractured spine and burns to his face and eyes... He's not doing too well at all. It's so bad, I think he lost his sight…" Seishin started tearing up, "I'm sorry," she mumbled.

"It's quite alright, child," Kaede pulled Seishin over into a hug. Which in turn, made Seishin cry more. Her precious little brother was so abused… Will he ever get a break?

"I'm sure Inuyasha will be fine with his sister with him every step of the way to his recovery…" Taking a glance to Miroku who had taken a seat next to Seishin on the smooth flooring, she added, "It also seems that Miroku will be helping, am I right?"

"I'll help in any way possible," Miroku eagerly chimed.

"Thank you," Seishin opened one of her arms to Miroku and he accepted the hug.

"Can I hug to?" Rin pulled on Seishin's haori. Seishin nodded and picked Rin up so she hugged Seishin's neck, while Seishin leaned over onto Miroku, and hugged Kaede with her spare arm.

After a moment, Miroku resisting his perverted ways, Seishin backed from the hug and set Rin back down. She turned to Miroku, "Would you like to come see him?" she asked.

"Would I not be imposing?"

"Of course not."

"Then it'd be a pleasure."

"Great! Goodbye Kaede-san, good day Rin-chan," Seishin waved and started walking down the shrine stairs.

Miroku followed, "Where is he?"

"He's at my home, don't worry, it's hard to find."


	11. Thanks ya lecher

They walked in tender silence. It was true when Seishin said that she'd be back by nightfall, for it was beginning to twilight when she started ascending the stairs. Miroku followed after her, marveling at her building skill. Seishin directed Miroku to the guest room where Inuyasha is staying and found that neither of the party who stayed home seemed to have moved.

Seishin took the cloth on Inuyasha's forehead and got it wet again before ringing it out. She wiped off his sleeping face before sitting it to rest on his forehead.

Miroku sat down on the opposite side that Seishin sat, watching the battered half demon slumber. His tail and ears were unmoving, and he looked distressed in his sleep.

Miroku was the only of the group besides Kirara and Seishin who knew Inuyasha had a tail. He had learned when the two guys went to a hot spring after the girls and Shippo finished up. It was a shock at first, but then turned into amusement and faded out of importance, only brought into a tease vaguely every now and then.

He watched as Seishin pulled the blanket down to reveal a blue haori. She untied it and it revealed a bandaged pale torso, that was much too thin for normal. The bandages were red from blood and Seishin pointed at them, then stood up to search for more.

Miroku looked for the tie and pulled it gently, starting to unravel it, sliding one of his arms behind Inuyasha's shoulders, lifting him up as he pulled off the wrappings. Albeit it was a slow process, but it was much less painful for him.

Once it was removed, Miroku had to advert his sight before he lost his lunch. He's seen so much blood and death over the years, you'd think he'd get used to it. But yet, seeing the hole through his torso disgusted him. It was even beginning to scab at the edges and you could see fresh blood oozing. Miroku could swear he saw a bone too…

Seishin found some more bandages, and grabbed another rag and a bowl of dust. She used the rag to clean up the excess blood, and lightly sprinkled some of the dust onto the wound before starting to wrap his torso again, making sure to cover his shoulders as well.

"You can look now, he's bandaged…" she whispered, putting the dust away.

Miroku gently set Inuyasha down onto the futon and pulled the blanket up to his shoulders.

"I'm going to prepare something to eat, see if you can wake him up," she picked up the slumbering Kirara, rousing her.

"Okay," he agreed. He turned to Inuyasha once Seishin left the room. "Hey, Inuyasha. Psst. Buddy, wake up." Miroku observed his demonic friend's right ear twitch.

Inuyasha tried to open his eyes, but they still stung so much. His back was aching, and he still felt next to nothing in his legs. He groaned.

"Inuyasha?" a male voice whispered, almost as if he knew his ears were sore.

"M'oku?" he slurred.

"Yes, it's me. Feeling terrible?" he asked. Inuyasha felt a hand lightly touch his shoulder.

"Keh… Where'she?" he asked before yawning.

"Seishin-san went to get something for supper."

"'gome here?"

"No."

"Good."

"Are you that mad with her at the moment?"

"Mmhmm," he nodded.

"It's just you, me, Seishin-san and Kirara. She had come down to Lady Kaede's and spoke with us all."

Inuyasha chuckled, which sent a string of pain through his torso. "Why only you?"

"It seems like I was the only one that Seishin-san was tolerant of besides of Miss Rin and Lady Kaede."

"That sounds like her…"

"What exactly happened to us?" Miroku asked sullenly.

"Dunno. We were all good, then we beat Naraku. Kagome couldn't get through the well, and I was blamed… The runt started going to more of those kitsune exams, and I became a target every time he was around… Kouga and I fought once and Kagome used the command… Somewhere in there Sango got mad at me… I stopped coming 'round so much… Sesshomaru came and fought me after the villagers refused my entrance to the village to get food and talk to Kaede-baabaa… Sesshomaru destroyed the well, and Sango and Kagome hit it off on me… What did Kouga say when he was here?"

"I remember something big happening between you two… But that's it."

"So most of this has something to do with the wolf?"

"It's a plausible accusation."

Then, "So the flea-bag is also needing a chewing?" Seishin came in balancing three bowls of soup and Kirara on her shoulder.

"That would be great, but I'm going to be the one to kick his ass," Inuyasha shifted his head so it faced her.

"I'll have to watch. Here Miroku," she handed one bowl to him. She placed a smaller second on the floor which Kirara started eating from. She took a sip from the third bowl and sat next to Inuyasha. She gently slid her arm in behind Inuyasha's shoulders and lifted him up a little and held the bowl to his lips. "Just a little," she pleaded and he listened.

Seishin finished the rest of the soup, same with Kirara and Miroku. Kirara curled into a ball and fell asleep, and Miroku asked, "Do you have another futon that you could spare me for the night?"

"You can use mine a room back, I'm most likely to stay here with Inu."

"Thank you very much," he stood up. "Good night, Inuyasha," and he left the room.

"I approve of the monk," Seishin praised once he was gone.

"Glad one friend still counts," he mumbled.

"Now, Inu, open your eyes."

His silence spoke volumes.

"I know," she stroked his ear. "But I need to see." Inuyasha willed his eyes open, and the stinging grew. He started to whimper, knowing his sister wouldn't care about the noises. Blinking rapidly, he tried to get used to it. He tried distracting himself by focusing on the feeling of his ear being rubbed, but it didn't work for long. He tried to look for his sister, but the entire world was dark.

"It… hurts…" he whined.

"It'll be okay, just keep them open a little longer." Seishin observed them. The light still didn't reflect from them, and they were slightly red from irritation. Burning scorches were gathered around the iris and pupil. His eyes watered. "Okay, you can close them if it helps," he snapped them closed and lifted one hand to his face. She grabbed the cloth that fell from his forehead and felt his temperature. It wasn't that warm.

She wetted the cloth again and moved his hand away. She folded the cloth only once compared to folding it twice earlier, and set it on his forehead. This time, it covered his eyes as well. She felt him relax a little under her touch and massaging of the ear, and soon he drifted off to sleep. Tossing now and then, he fought off the poison in his system.

Sitting back a bit she was suddenly reminded that his bracelet was still stolen, Seishin growled. She wondered if he took the necklace she gave him too… She looked around his neck, it wasn't there. She looked at his wrists, it wasn't there. She looked around his ankles, it wasn't there. She looked in his robe's hidden pockets.

It wasn't there.

A wolf's going to die, very soon.

xXx

In the morning, Miroku said his good byes to Inuyasha and Seishin. Miroku warned that he'd have to be discreet because of the hatred running around. The twins reassured him it was fine, and he left with Kirara.

He was being escorted by Kirara back to the village, and he would be transported back and forth by her until he knew the route. Miroku was trusted by Seishin after she saw the two men communicate that morning when Miroku entered the room, announcing his departure.

_"Aw, come on, monk… Why not stay?" Inuyasha whined from his feeble position on the futon._

_"It would be nice to stay with my friend, but Sango is probably very worried right now. Despite knowing that you carry a hatred towards her is no matter of mine to deal with. I hope you understand," Miroku was sitting next to the futon, watching as Inuyasha frequently closed his eyes as he could only keep them open for a couple seconds at a time._

_"I understand, just, you know…" he stopped, being terrible at socializing._

_"Come around and check on you? Of course, my friend, of course. Despite you being somewhat ignorant towards others, I will not bail on a friend in need!"_

_"Thanks, ya lecher…" he smiled crookedly._

Miroku was informed very strictly that he was to not tell anyone where her house was, for she feared of someone finding it and trying to kill Inuyasha when he was vulnerable. Miroku, ever the peace maker, promised to not cause any uproar.

When he and Kirara got to the village, the nekomata stayed on the monk's shoulder and stayed with him when he arrived at Kaede's hut, no doubt where everyone has gathered during the late winter day. Entering the hut, he was barraged by the young Rin.

"Where were you, Miroku? You had me so worried when you didn't come back last night!

"I was with Inuyasha last night, he needed a friend, so I stayed the night because it was late. Am I forgiven?"

"Yes! How is Master Inuyasha? Is he better yet?"

"Not quite, Rin. But we'll see him again soon, alright?" Miroku could only hope. The clashing truths were causing big problems in the group…

"Okay, Miroku!" she let him go and dragged Shippo outside to play in the snow.

"So, Miroku, how does Inuyasha fare?" Kaede asked, well aware of Sango in the corner. Kaede wondered if she knew the damage she placed on Inuyasha. We'll have to see, then, won't we? she thought.

"Inuyasha is not very well at all… He's got a terrible bleeding hole in his stomach… He's also been poisoned by Sesshomaru, so his immune system is very weak. He's bordering getting very sick, and Seishin is doing everything she can to try and prevent it so he doesn't get worse."

"How does he seem spirit-wise?"

"Very calm. He was talking casually with me though," Miroku smiled and sat down.

"Has he been up already, or bedridden?"

"He's beyond being held to bed. He couldn't get up if he wanted."

"The poor boy," Kaede took a sip of the tea in her hands.

"He got what he deserved!" Sango suddenly got up from the corner and left the hut.

"She's enemies with Inuyasha, isn't she?"

"Very much so, though I believe she could hold no ill will. She thinks that Inuyasha was betraying Kagome by destroying the well and visiting Kikyo-onee-sama. Everyone needs to learn the truth."

"I hope this is to be resolved…"

"I too, monk, I as well…"


	12. Sleepy musings

Miroku went to check up on Inuyasha with Kirara again the next day. Sango was upset that Kirara wouldn't go near her, and it bothered Miroku too, but his fiancée needs to learn a lesson.

Arriving to Seishin's tree, he saw her zip out of the house with a bucket to a river he knew resided nearby.

"Seishin! Where are you going?" he asked, despite knowing. What was she in a hurry for?

He climbed the stairs to the guest room and already didn't like what he saw. Inuyasha's head was tossing back and forth, his face scrunched in pain. His hands clasped onto the bedding so that his knuckles were turning white. He whimpered every now and then, and he was sweating profusely.

"Inuyasha?" Miroku asked as he sat by his friend.

He only got a whimper in response. His ear flattened back and Miroku knew instantly he was in serious pain.

Miroku grabbed the cloth hanging over a bucket of room temperature water, and rung it out. He started wiping off the sweat from Inuyasha's face. He stopped tossing and he heaved breaths. Miroku continued to try and cool him down while also trying to wake him up from his feverous dreams. He continued to do that until he noticed that Inuyasha's breathing changed tempo.

"Inuyasha? Are you awake?" Miroku asked, not being able to tell because he kept his eyes closed.

"Seishin?" Inuyasha asked weakly.

"No, it's Miroku. Are you in pain?"

"I-it… h-hurts… M'oku… so much…" he whimpered.

"What hurts?" he wiped his sweating face down again.

"Eyes…" he groaned.

Maybe I can ask Kaede for something… she had an injury with her eye when she was young… Miroku thought. "Don't worry, it won't hurt for long…" Miroku could only hope that was the truth.

Inuyasha shuddered and let out a scream of pain. From which injury, Miroku didn't know, however he hated seeing his strong willed friend in so much pain.

xXx

A masculine scream ripped through the air, catching the attention of a silver haired demon.

Sesshomaru turned cold golden eyes to the direction whence it came from atop a cliff. He paused his stride to ponder. That was from the half-breed… he surmised. No doubt that the scream was not caused by himself. What has he gotten himself into now? The demon lord couldn't help but wonder.

Sesshomaru found himself almost wishing he hadn't attacked Inuyasha lately. It was an outrageous thought, but he has been changing so frequently that it surprised him not.

Sesshomaru has already accepted that Inuyasha was the rightful heir to the Tessaiga and that he was his kin, but he was still held back by something. Sesshomaru knew not what, but he had the inner feeling that Inuyasha needed family at this point in time.

Inuyasha has been becoming stronger and less pig-headed. Sesshomaru was glad for that, and now it seemed like their deadly battles had downsized to dangerous sparring matches. It pleased Sesshomaru for a time that he noticed Inuyasha no longer tensed up and unsheathed his sword every time that he showed up.

Though, Sesshomaru's anger engulfed him suddenly. He let it have free reign and he had hurt Inuyasha a little excessively the last time they met, mere days ago. Sesshomaru left swiftly before he did anything more to the hanyou.

Sesshomaru wouldn't admit this fact to anyone, but he wished to mend the bond between himself and his half-siblings. It was going well, he guessed, but something must have happened between the humans and the youngest. For this scream was not his fault.

Sesshomaru surprisingly found himself walking towards the hanyou's location.

Jaken noticed his sudden change of direction and ran after the white dog demon on his stubby legs, waving the staff of two heads to and fro, asking the demon lord where he was going.

Of course, the lord didn't answer the imp, he found no need to explain his motives. Especially if he was still figuring them himself.

Traveling on foot, he should reach there in another two to three days.

xXx

Kaede looked up from Kikyo's grave at the sound of Inuyasha's scream. It was unusual to hear the gruff hanyou to scream unless he was in immense pain. Kaede could only guess what was happening with him; she wondered when he would get a day of peace.

xXx

Unfortunately, by the thought of the beholder, Shippo also had heard due to his enhanced hearing. Though it being loud and near, both humans and demons would have heard it. He probably deserves every inch of pain he got, the lying thief, Shippo thought devilishly.

xXx

Hearing her brother, Seishin picked up the bucket, now restocked with freezing cold water and turned and dashed home.

Is he under attack? Is it his back? Was he getting pain from the poison? Was he… No, she won't even go there. She just left him to get more water for his fever… Maybe if she hadn't stopped to observe herself in the river, she would be at home with him already…

Getting there in record time, she rushed to the room with Inuyasha and saw Miroku had arrived. She heard him asking her a question when she hastily left the house.

"What's wrong?" she asked quickly, putting the bucket on the ground, launching herself to her brother's side, gripping his hand and prying it from the blanket.

"I don't know. When I got here he was saying his eyes hurt and then he just screamed. It startled me how sudden he did…" Miroku was obviously frazzled despite looking completely indifferent.

"Brother, what hurts?" Seishin placed her free hand to his cheek and he seemed to calm down a little.

"Eyes… M… makit stop!" he sounded like he was being pushed through pure agony. Tears were rolling down his cheeks, which seemed to only make the situation worse.

"Monk," Seishin gained a commanding tone. "Get that bowl of dust over there. Then wet a cloth in the cold water and hand them to me," Seishin ordered. She started to stroke Inuyasha's good ear, still holding his hand. "Now, please!" she raised her voice.

Miroku scrambled to get the dust and handed it to her and wetted a cloth.

Seishin moved her hands from Inuyasha's ear and hand and reached for the bowl. He whimpered at the lost affection and soon started to writhe in agony. Seishin had to sit atop Inuyasha's chest, being mindful of his injuries, and used her knees to prevent him from moving his head. She grabbed a pinch of the dust and forcefully opened one eye at a time and sprinkled the dust in his eyes. A couple seconds later, he stopped protesting against his sister's weight and fell limp, breathing heavily.

Seishin wordlessly took the cloth from Miroku and placed it over Inuyasha's eyes. She pressed down on it for a couple moments before slowly getting off of him and sitting down to his side, still applying little pressure to the cloth.

Seishin resumed stroking his ear and Miroku stared, still lost at what just transpired.

"What did you do?" Miroku asked, astonished.

"Sone strong dried crushed herbs that promote pain reduction and boost poison immunity. That's why he doesn't complain about the hole in his stomach… I didn't know it was his eyes that really were giving him all that pain…"

"What exactly damaged his sight?"

"I believe Sesshomaru's poison started it, but Kagome shot a purifying arrow at him and the spiritual energy burned his eyes since the arrow landed in such a close proximity."

"I can't see Kagome doing that."

"Well, she did. -And you shouldn't be surprised. She's been treating Inuyasha so terribly lately just because of a couple lies and because the well won't work."

"Really? How do you know all this?"

"Inuyahsa told me. We don't fight every time we meet like Sesshomaru does to us."

xXx

When he woke up, he felt utterly numb. He could barely hear Miroku saying he's leaving. Seishin said Kirara could take him, but he insisted he would be fine finding his way through the forest.

It was weird to only hear their voices and not see their smiles or bodily motions. Seishin always had a habit of holding her own tail when she was nervous…

This would take some getting used to, but it just reminded him of a blindfold game he and Seishin used to play when they were pups. One twin would wear the blindfold, while tracking the other twin, who was running and hiding.

If thought positively, his world is just that game, magnified.

He could tell the broken ribs within were mended now, and that the poison has receded to only burning drops while the lacerations on his back have scabbed as they were beginning to itch.

Seishin kept him warm, trying to keep the impending sickness away.

It was comforting to know that Seishin stayed with him. She hasn't done anything like this for him in a long time, she's never needed to.

He heard padding of small paws around him, taking in his surroundings, he felt the somewhat scratchy clothes he was wearing. They were open and sprawling across the futon he was laying on. The blanket lay halfway up his chest, with my arms cushioned behind his head, looking relaxed to anyone else.

He didn't bother trying to move, knowing that it would only serve to rip his scabs and cause him to bleed again. He didn't really feel like wasting that energy. He was just so tired...When he woke next, Miroku had come back claiming he has come of Kaede's medicine she used to heal her mangled eye. Seishin gladly approved of it and gave it to him.

He fell back asleep soon after.

xXx

Miroku was in shock with Inuyasha's steady attitude around his sister. He never spoke out too much at her, only making feeble protests when she needed to leave his side or when he didn't want to have the medicine. Miroku guessed that this new side of Inuyasha's was because he was in a drowsy state of mind and body; but Miroku also knew that Seishin knew Inuyasha since he was a baby. They've had over long centuries to smooth out their relationship. Not to mention that they are both half demon. There had to be some kind of mutual understanding there.

There was no show of healing with his eyes, and it worried Seishin to the ends of the earth. He had told her once in the night when he calmed that he was starting to move his feet again. Albeit it was a strain and tiring, but it was most definitely a start. Seishin guessed that in another day or two they could start getting his balance back.


	13. Feathers

The next day, it was up to Seishin to take the trip to Kaede's for the medicine, and it didn't take her as long to get there today, not bothering to walk through the village but dash through it.

Only Kagome was present in the hut when she arrived. Wearing a fake smile, Seishin asked, "Where is Kaede-san?"

Kagome glared back at her, "Kaede-baa-san is seeing to a sick woman. It won't be long until she's back."

"Then I'll wait," Seishin sat down defiantly, facing Kagome from across the fire.

The hut fell into silence and neither of the girls spoke a word to the other, being angry for a reason. Seishin to Kagome for hurting her brother; and Kagome to Seishin for hiding her existence and at Inuyasha for lying to her.

"How are you?" stiffly, Kagome finally asked.

"Worried," she responded. "How are you?"

"Ticked."

The two girls fell into silence again.

A couple minutes later, Kaede came into the hut, wrapped in a blanket for warmth in the early spring day. Sensing the tense air in between the two women, she greeted them both with a friendly, "Hello, how fare thee two?"

Kagome grumbled a 'good' and Seishin greeted her properly. "Good day, Kaede-san. I am good, Inuyasha's doing much better, as I know you're wondering."

"Good, I hope towards a quick recovery, and about his eyes?"

"He still can't see anything…"

"Then I do believe that his sight is gone."

"So, my brother's not getting it back?"

"Aye, Inuyasha 'tis blind now."

They were interrupted by an odd unexpected sound from the doorway. Turning to the door in unison, they saw that it was only Kagura. She stood with a hand poised to her mouth. "What did you just say?" she asked in disbelief.

"Ah, greetings Kagura, what brings you here?" Kaede asked, sitting down.

"Did you just say what I thought I heard?" Kagura stepped forward tensely.

"Unfortunately, yes."

"Kagome and Sango?" Kagura clarified, accusingly.

Sighing to break the conversation, Seishin got up and introduced herself. Then she offered Kagura a visit to her brother.

"I haven't seen dogboy in months, of course I'm coming to see him," Kagura spat.

"Then we'll leave immediately," she stated, watching as Kaede started to hustle about the hut, gathering some herbs and placing them in a jug. She poured some liquid into the jug and plugged it. She lifted the jug and shook it up quite a few times.

"Here, I wish him well," Kaede handed the jug in full to Seishin and she bowed low.

"Thank you, Kaede-san! Oh, before I go, Inu's ready to stand! I'm helping him later, I can't wait!" she started towards the door.

"Good luck, Sei!"

Seishin walked out of the house and Kagura followed.

Pulling a feather out of her hair, she tossed it into the air. The feather grew and grew until it was large enough to sit upon. Kagura jumped up onto the feather and flew above the tree line.

Seishin wordlessly took off, running across tree branches and jumping tree to tree.

Kagura followed closely, never losing sight of Seishin.

Kagura stared wearily at the tree when Seishin hopped onto the platform at the highest branches. Kagura shrunk her feather and dropped down onto the platform, shaking it. She caught the falling feather and replaced it in her hair.

"So this is the fort?" Kagura asked, pulling out her fan from her sleeve. She opened it and started to fan herself despite the already chilled air.

"Yes, welcome to my humble abode. Do, come inside," Seishin walked down a ladder to the connecting bridge that led to the storage room. Kagura followed through the storage room to the room where Inuyasha was sitting in a corner, crossing his legs with Kirara in his lap.

"Kagura…?" he blinked dim eyes and furrowed his brows.

"Hey dogboy, heard you lost some friends. Am I included?"

"Keh, if you don't bleed me out."

"I don't think like that about you anymore."

Inuyasha grinned, "At least it's not everyone."

"So, how are you feeling?"

"Keh, I'm fine."

"No you're not," Seishin cut in. "Not to be a conversation breaker here, but uh… Kagura, do you know what is going on between the humans?"

"Between the humans? I don't know what is your point."

"She means why they turned on me," Inuyasha explained.

"It's hard to say. Humans are an odd bunch. I don't think I'll ever know," Kagura shrugged.

"So, what's the damage report?" Kagura asked, sitting herself down on the futon.

"I'm mostly healed by now… But the worst is my sight," he explained, starting to pet Kirara behind her ear, causing her to purr happily.

"So what Kaede said was true? You're blind?" Kagura lowered her fan and glared at the floorboard.

"I'm afraid that's true…" Seishin sunk to the floor.

"Hardly even notice whether my eyes are closed or not…" Inuyasha scratched the back of his neck with an awkward chuckle.

"The humans really have taken it too far…" Kagura mumbled.

"He could have died if they left him there! What if Kirara hadn't come to get me? I would never have found him in time!" Tears fell down Seishin's face.

"That's in the past now, focus on what's here and now." Kagura placed a hand on Seishin's shoulder. "Dogboy over there is still kickin', and no way he'd let his ass get killed by humans, right?" Kagura used her way of cheering up.

"No fucking way!" Inuyasha protested.

"See my point?" Kagura smiled. "I'm at your service if you need my help. Don't hesitate to ask me to murder someone, okay?" Kagura stood up. "Now, I got to fly, great meeting you Seishin. Nice to know what happened, dogboy. You're going to have to tell me the whole story sometime."

"Keh," Inuyasha resumed petting Kirara.

Seishin stood up. "Thank you, Kagura. It was nice meeting you. Another time?"

"Definitely," Kagura walked out the door.

Watching the door for another moment, Seishin clapped her hand, halting all thought process. "Alright! Time to get you on your feet!" Seishin stood up and walked over to Inuyasha. She grabbed his hands and hoisted him onto his feet. "Up ya get," she grunted.


	14. Can I trust you

Sesshomaru walked into a clearing, where he smelt his two half-siblings, approaching the tree that held a house within its many boughs.

Behind him, Jaken started to complain under his breath about coming all this way just for a 'stinking old, shriveled tree whom a twat decided to turn into a house.'

Sesshomaru turned slightly, annoyed with his servant and glared at the imp. The servant immediately stopped and dropped to his hands and knees. Jaken started stumbling over apologies and the such.

"This clearing holds much to those who inhabit it," Sesshomaru knew. Seishin had been living here for the entirety of the fifty years that Inuyasha had been sealed to the Goshinboku. She insisted on never leaving for long. Sesshomaru himself was confused on the twins' insistence of close range. All their life, Sesshomaru never once found one without the other within at least a hundred yards.

"Sesshomaru-sama, who lives here?" Jaken got up.

"I trust you know how to use your nose?" If the imp was this stupid, he sometimes wonders why he lets the imp follow him around. Does he really need to become obvious?

"Yes!"

At least his servant had some competence. He didn't answer the imp's outburst, placing a hand to the bark of the tree and caught Inuyasha's and Seishin's scent trails leading off. Following that, Sesshomaru wanted a chance to speak to Seishin about being able to try and mend their relationships.

The imp followed Sesshomaru, as always, and the demon lord wished he had stayed put by the tree.

Sesshomaru continued through the forest until he came to a small meadow. Over on the other end, he saw Seishin sitting against a tree with Inuyasha lying his head on her lap. He seemed to be asleep, but Sesshomaru knew he wasn't when he heard Inuyasha whisper: "The bastard is here…"

He faintly wondered how tuned the hanyou's senses were. There was wind blowing everywhere, even Sesshomaru couldn't pick up on their scent for long. Not to mention that it is a loud wind and he was quiet as he normally is.

Seishin looked up, and her brows furrowed in curiosity and confusion.

Jaken, noticing the occupants of the meadow once he followed Sesshomaru closer, started complaining. "Sesshomaru-sama, what are we doing here? Are those the two half-breeds that call you their kin? Are we here to kill them? Finally, I say. We should decapitate-"

"Jaken, enough. Now leave me." If Sesshomaru would have any chance at following what his father wished, he'd need to have no one else to teeter his decisions.

Jaken blinked and his jaw dropped, "P-pardon, me lord?"

"Leave the vicinity."

Jaken's eyes became larger and he stumbled back a few steps, then turned around and started walking back.

Sesshomaru noticed then that Seishin was getting up. She gently rolled Inuyasha off of her lap and he rolled onto his knees. Seishin stood up and helped Inuyasha to his feet.

Sesshomaru noticed briefly that Inuyasha's eyes were not focusing on anything. They've lost their shine and seemed clouded over. He noticed how his brother's balance was tipsy and how he gripped onto his twin's shoulder for support.

He hated not knowing exactly what was transpiring. He was used to being all-knowing and getting any and all questions immediately answered. These two tended to beat around the bush and he hated it.

As he approached, Seishin made grab for her sword.

"Stay your weapons. I have not come to fight," Sesshomaru explained.

"Then what the hell do you want?" Inuyasha asked rudely.

"I came to speak, nothing else."

"What the hell…"

"About?" Seishin dragged, moving her hand from the hilt.

"I must say I regret that fight, Inuyasha."

"What has gotten into you? 'Regret that fight' my ass," Inuyasha shifted his weight.

"Brother, be nice. He seems civil…"

"Keh."

"Inuyasha," Sesshomaru began. "I do not lie, so do believe me when I say I preferred it when we didn't fight. Now, if it is alright with the two of you, I'd like to mend our bonds."

"No tricks?" Seishin asked wearily.

Sesshomaru gave a brief nod, barely noticeable. Sesshomaru didn't push or try to persuade them further. It was their choice.

He waited patiently for their answer. Sesshomaru wouldn't be surprised if they both said no. He has been treating them terribly ever since he learned that his father had sired them. Chased them all their lives, driving them away from his home and family, almost killing them every time they crossed paths.

He has changed so much these past years. He's noticed that. It all started with trying to get the Tessaiga. Then saving Rin. Meeting the wind sorceress. It had just progressed from there. He had forgotten about their father leaving Tessaiga to someone other than him, and he found out it was his father's wish for them to get along. The exact opposite than what Sesshomaru has been doing all these years. Not to mention the largest change, he was compassionate now. He was still cold and didn't show what he truly thought; but he cared and could wield Tenseiga now.

It seems that his changes have not been the only ones; Inuyasha wasn't hiding his tail anymore and he seems to have lost his nearly all friendship with the humans…

Seishin seems to be the only one who hasn't changed much. Though she seemed less timid than the last he saw of her… She had always had but one friend; her brother. Inuyasha and she were truly inseparable. Even if you catch them separate in body, their minds and souls reacted to the other.

"I guess…" Seishin sounded extremely torn. She seemed to want another family member to support her, but she doesn't want to open her or her brother up to another, just to be tortured and betrayed by them.

That is the quirk of their human blood. It gave them their longing for others to care for them.

"What do you think, Inu?" Seishin asked.

"Keh, your choice. I don't give a damn about jackasses who run their hand through my stomach," Inuyasha turned his back and crossed his arms.

So, the youngest needs some extra persuasion. He wouldn't doubt that, he distinctly remembers being hardest on him. It seems he refuses to let go of his past actions…

"I… I don't know… I guess we can see if it works out…" Seishin held her tail, a clear sign of her nervousness.

"I assure you, I have no plan to be disloyal to you two anymore."

Inuyasha's tail twitched and his ear turned towards Sesshomaru.

"Inuyasha, we should get back…" Seishin's ears flattened to her head. "My ears are cold and you're tired. -Don't even think about denying it."

"Keh," he turned and grabbed the fabric of Seishin's kimono from around her arm. Seishin started walking, glancing at Inuyasha.

Sesshomaru wondered.

The two passed by him and he followed.

He wondered, and it didn't sit right with him.

Soon, while walking through the forest, they regained a comfortable pace and Sesshomaru ended walking next to Seishin. It was quiet besides the wind that was whipping about.

When they neared the tree, Sesshomaru noticed a lack of footsteps. He looked around and saw Inuyasha was not in sight.

"It seems he has fallen lost, Seishin," he commented while turning back and venturing back into the woods. He didn't wait for Seishin's worried reply, he merely started strolling in the direction they came.

Sesshomaru wondered how hard it'd be to gain his brother's trust; which he previously reduced to zero, then raised, then destroyed again. He would most definitely need to drastically change his actions around him and most importantly, be much more open to them two.

That will be a feat in itself, for Sesshomaru opens to no one.

The wind was blowing hard, so it was hard to track Inuyasha by scent. He resigned to retracing steps. But soon enough, he came to find a form clad in silver, black and green in a heap on the moist, snowy ground. "Inuyasha," Sesshomaru neared him.

The figure groaned.

"Get up, your twin is worried about you," he made no move to help him. Inuyasha tensed, and he shifted. He pushed himself onto his knees and sneezed. "Are you coming?" Sesshomaru begun to turn around.

"W-wait…" Inuyasha sounded unsure.

"Hmm?" Sesshomaru hummed. He stopped moving and watched the hanyou.

Inuyasha slowly raised himself to his feet and wobbled. He took a step forward, but his legs gave out. Laying back in the snow, he was breathing heavily.

What is the matter? Can't he stand for one step? What was the extent of the humans' torture? Sesshomaru could smell the sickness that lingered around him. He needs to hurry and get out of the snow…

Inuyasha got back to his feet and took three steps closer. He was a step away from Sesshomaru. He didn't look him in the eyes. It seemed like he was seeing right through Sesshomaru.

Just then, his legs gave out again. He looked ready to fall into the snow, but Sesshomaru caught him.

"Sesshomaru?" Inuyasha asked bewildered.

"It will take forever if you walk. You're exhausted as is." Before Inuyasha could ask what Sesshomaru meant, he scooped his little half-brother into his arms. He tensed. "It's alright. Didn't I tell you that'd you would not be harmed by myself?" Sesshomaru turned and started walking.

"I'm useless…" Inuyasha whispered.

"How so?"

"I let myself get this hurt by lowly humans…"

"Surely you didn't expect it."

"No," his bangs shrouded his face in shadows. "I thought I had friends… But I was wrong."

"Humans are a pitiful existence, I agree." Inuyasha didn't reply. He listened to the crunch of snow under the demon lord's boots. "I've wondered, what did they do?" Sesshomaru asked to break the silence. Inuyasha didn't respond. Sesshomaru took it as a 'no', "How come?"

"You're still a jackass."

"I see."

They lapsed into an uneasy silence. Then, "Can I trust you?"

"I wish you would."

"How bad?"

Sesshomaru thought. Yes, he could live without knowing why the humans did it. Yes, he could live without knowing how they did it. What he wanted to know was the damage in itself. The short term, the long term. Physical, mental.

He decided to say, "Moderately."

Another silence passed. Had he said the wrong thing? How difficult will Inuyasha be for this?

Sesshomaru wondered why he decided to put up with this.

Inuyasha's breathing slowed and he relaxed a little into Sesshomaru's arms. Just when Sesshomaru thought that he fell asleep, he whispered in a barely audible voice, "I'm blind."

Sesshomaru looked to Inuyasha in mild surprise.

The humans successfully blinded a hanyou? Was it permanent? Sesshomaru felt something clench in his chest. A new sensation boiled in the pit of his heart.

How dare they.

How dare they!

What has sent everyone's companionships twirling? Everything has changed. Was it for the better?

"Is it permanent?" he asked.

"It would have healed by now if it wasn't…"

So, Sesshomaru has a blind hanyou brother now… This will be a damper on the challenge of mending their bonds. Or, it could be exactly what they needed… Albeit he doesn't say it, Inuyasha needs people to support him, and Sesshomaru will show that he means no more harm.

A wet drop fell on Sesshomaru's head. Then another, and another. The skies darkened as rain clouds gathered as Inuyasha grumbled the obvious, "It's raining…"

Soon, Sesshomaru and Inuyasha made it back to the tree where Seishin was pacing back and forth. "You found him!" Seishin cried happily.

Inuyasha was about to reply, when he was interrupted by his own sneeze.

"You're still sick… It's best to get you inside. You c-can come too, Sesshomaru…"

The three went upstairs to the main room where Seishin got a fire going. Sesshomaru sat Inuyasha down in front of the fire and he chose that opportune moment to sneeze again.

Seishin grabbed a blanket and draped it over Inuyasha, "I'll go get some dry clothes," and disappeared upstairs. Sesshomaru sat down on the floor at the opposite end of the room, his back resting against the wall. He studied his little half-brother who stared blankly ahead.

He sneezed once more and the rain continued to fall down, beginning to thaw the snow underfoot.

Seishin came back in with another pair of hakama, a shitagi and suikan. She placed it on Inuyasha's lap and excused herself to go and change herself.

Inuyasha knocked the blanket off his shoulders and stripped of his clothes and changed.

Sesshomaru saw how thin his body was. He saw the pink, frail skin of his abdomen, where he had thrust his hand through.

Inuyasha sat back down and groped for the blanket and replaced it around his shoulders.

Seishin came back in and threw another log on the fire. She sat down next to Inuyasha, touching his shoulder with hers.

The three sat in silence, the fire crackling and the rain falling. All was still until Inuyasha leaned over onto Seishin wordlessly. He slumped and the blanket slid off his shoulders. Seishin looked over to him and saw he was asleep, looking so relaxed and calm.

Then she noticed the red tinge to his cheeks and held a hand to his forehead. He was burning up.


	15. So she returns

"Sango, your house is going to look great when it's done being built!" Kagome complimented, looking at the unfinished structure.

"Thank you, I just wish they weren't working so hard this early in spring. I wouldn't want any of them getting sick…"

"They're bundled up fine, they said to me earlier when I asked. They want to get it done for you and Miroku by the first blossom this spring."

"But they have so much to do! They don't need to do that!" Looking back to the unfinished house, Sango took note of all that needed finished. It was too much to do in the short month and a half they've just given themselves.

Kagome smiled, "They want it finished because it's a wedding present, so you and Miroku can move in immediately that night."

"What?" Sango blushed at the thought of spending the night alone with her fiancé.

"Is that wrong? You've been traveling in a group all the time you've known Miroku, wouldn't you like to have some alone time?" Kagome smiled, implying something.

It didn't fly over Sango's head as her entire face flushed red. She had an embarrassed smile, but it fell quickly. She remembered the fight they had a while ago. The atmosphere between them had been tense ever since, their conversations brief and to the point. "Kagome, what have I done?" Sango asked sullenly.

"What? What's wrong?" the raven's face was serious and she had a hand placed comfortingly on Sango's shoulder.

"I haven't apologized to Houshi-sama yet," she explained.

"About what? Did something happen between you two? Or is it the Inuyasha thing?"

"We had a bit of an argument ever since this all started… I don't know what to say to him… Do you think he'd forgive me for yelling at him?"

"Sango, you don't need to forgive him, he needs to apologize to you! He's the one who didn't believe that Inuyasha left you for dead!" Kagome explained.

Sango nodded. She'll find Miroku and knock some sense into him!

xXx

A couple people were outside about the village, since the snow was gone. Inuyasha and Seishin got the dirtiest of glares while she led him about.

"Is this how the village reacted every time you came?" Seishin asked Inuyasha under her breath.

"They're staring again?" he asked, sounding indifferent. "Of course. There normally are whispers and insults along with the stares," Inuyasha whispered. "Wait, why the hell are we whispering?" he raised his voice. "Why don't you all get the fuck off of my back and go interest your lazy asses on something more of use!" he shouted at the villagers with a growl.

The villagers who were looking on all flinched. They still glared, but then they receded to what they were doing before.

Seishin and Inuyasha walked together through the rest of the village, not coming into contact with any other people. They soon traveled to Kaede's hut, and Inuyasha resigned to leaning over Seishin's shoulder. They entered the hut and Seishin saw only Kaede was present.

She looked up to the sudden guests and gasped. "Inuyasha!" she was obviously caught off guard.

"Old hag," he greeted casually.

Seishin and he walked to the left side of the small fire and Seishin let him take a seat, sitting on the other side of the fire afterwards.

"Hello, Kaede-san. I hope you had no plans this evening?"

"Not at all, child. Say, how do ye fare, Inuyasha?"

"Keh, fine."

"He is walking, as you see, Kaede-san. He doesn't have all his balance or strength back yet though… His attitude is in full swing, though worse comes, he's having no tell tale signs of his sight healing…"

"I didn't expect any different… But I am glad to see you've made such large improvement already. So I trust the medicine helped?"

"Yeah, my eyes don't sting anymore," Inuyasha put in.

"He has a cold though," Seishin grumbled.

"So hanyou do get normal sicknesses?"

"Not normally. It depends on their current condition, and Inuyasha has been through a lot of stress, despite what he says."

Inuyasha scoffed.

Rin then came in, running to the warm fire. "Brr. It's so cold outside." Rin looked around. "Miss Sei!" Rin ran over to her and hugged her. "Is Master Inuyasha here?" she looked at him right as she asked. She jumped off Seishin and ran around the fire. "Master Inuyasha! Are you all better?" Rin hopped into the hanyou's lap.

"Hey, Rin. Not completely better."

"No? Then you should be in bed!"

"I'm fine, squirt."

Rin happily fell asleep in Inuyasha's lap, as Seishin and Kaede held a light conversation. This continued on for a while before someone else came in the hut. The young priestess herself. She seemed pleased with herself as she came in, but the smile on her face melted the second she saw the company Kaede had.


	16. Merely said

"What are you doing here?" the shout of rage was surely heard everywhere within the village, the ground seemingly shaking when the woman who bellowed it stomped a foot down. You could practically see steam flowing from her ears as the anger rolled inside of her.

The silence held for only a moment before Seishin climbed to her feet. "Last time I checked, you were not the one in charge of where we ventured," she reasoned, her voice calm and cold.

"I'm sure that, that mutt over there has his own mouth. Why don't you do me a favor and shut up?" Sputtering for a moment, the female hanyou readied a comeback, though was interrupted with Inuyasha standing up. Holding out Rin, Seishin took her from him with a surprised face.

Taking a single step forward and no more, the hanyou glared in the raven's direction. "I'll go wherever I wanna, wench," a growl brewing from his throat, he stood his ground. "I was here long before you, in all aspects, you are trespassing into my territory."

"This isn't your land at all! This village is their own, you can't go around claiming whatever you want and doing whatever you need to ensure it stays yours!" Kagome grasped at air, trying to pull more words from her anger.

"Oh? Sounds more like you just want your precious well back. Well, too bad its broken…"

"Well maybe if you hadn't destroyed it, I would be back home! I've been gone for so long, they probably think I'm dead!" Tears sprung to her eyes, clutching her hands in front of her chest. "And to think its all your fault… I thought… You were supposed to be our friend, Inuyasha! When have you ever been nice to any of us, huh?"

"Now hold on a fucking minute!" Inuyasha interjected. "Who's the one who abuses their power, not to mention start this whole shitty mess by breaking the shikon jewel!"

"Goddamnit Inuyasha! Did you ever think that I didn't mean to? What if I just wanted to live a normal high school life, with no interruptions from stupid half demons who wasted my time running all over feudal Japan!"

"Maybe none of this would have ever happened if you weren't such a useless, idiotic bitch!"

Unhidden fury burned in Kagome's eyes. Her whole form was bursting with billowing spiritual power. "I swear, Inuyasha, I will kill you!"

xXx

The soft sound of her pace and the brush of silk upon the floor was the only noise that rebounded across the long, empty hall she occupied. The hall itself was gloriously decorated, the ceiling engraved and the supporting beams coloured. Hardwood planks were polished to a gleam, smooth beyond belief under fair feet.

Door upon door was passed, disregarded by cold amber eyes. It was not until she stopped suddenly, did she slam a door open. Within this grandiose room, sat two older inu yokai. They seemed to have been enjoying a cup of tea together, until their interruption spoke.

"You said he'd be back by today."

The elder turned to her, glancing briefly to see who had the audacity to slam such delicate door open. Upon finding the fair yokai, quite miffed, did he calm himself. "It was a suggested deadline, my lady. Besides, I have not heard a word from him at all."

Sighing heavily, she glanced at the floor, white hair falling over her shoulder. Turning her eyes at the other occupant upon hearing his mirthful chuckle, he joined in the exchange.

"This is just like the lord. It should have been expected, in all honesty. Let us just hope he returns soon in good circumstance."

A clipped huff was all that filled her exit.


	17. Against her

Sitting upon the raised balcony, she shared a cup of tea with a friend. The two were lavishly dressed in the finest clothes within the castle, with hair decorations and subtle makeup. The two women spoke lightly, sharing wise words about relationships and advice towards one another.

They had planned to spend the next few hours doing this, then returning to their respective areas of work. The two hadn't been bothered since the servants poured their first cup, and it was a simply beautiful day. The rain had finally slowed and the snow was cleared up for spring. The air was crisp and the smell of demons wasn't as pungent, they could smell the garden from the other side of the courtyard.

All was quiet and we'll until they were interrupted by a gust of wind. It was strong and brought the smell of another yokai. Before the two were aware, Kagura was hopping down from her enlarged feather. The three women then battled by stare, waiting for the other to give in, to show submission.

The golden eyed woman broke the silence, "What brings you here, of all places?" she practically spat at the wind demon.

"Now, I don't think that is the proper way to address your guests. Especially those who bear news of the whereabouts of your precious lord…" Kagura opened her fan, speaking from behind its colourful folds.

"Why would I believe someone like you, you scoundrel? Lying is something you rather enjoy, from my understanding. Barely a few years you've been around, and already you've made quite the reputation. Honestly, it proceeds you to be better. I am sorely disappointed," the inu observed her tea, looking uninterested with the conversation. It was clipped and she wore an air of indifference. She seemed like she wasn't going to listen to whatever Kagura had to say unless it piqued her interest.

"My, you are pretentious… Although, perhaps that can be reasoned by the title you carry? Should I decide to stay and relieve you of it? I was quite sure you were just talking of your interest in another man," Kagura closed the gap between them two, getting disrespectfully close.

That got a sputtered start from the golden eyed dog, "And what is your purpose here other than to insult me?"

"Well, other than that, I thought that maybe you'd like to know the current location that your precious lord is hiding away at. Maybe I was wrong…" Kagura turned and made to leave, but was interrupted by a cry from the violet eyes one.

She took a few hurried steps forward onto the lawn, "I would like to know!"

"Kaspa!" The woman obviously held higher position to the violet eyed demon, and she was most certainly not used to the smaller woman stepping out of line. "Didn't I warn you properly of other demons?"

"Yes, you certainly did, Lady Frisha. But…" Kaspa looked between the two nervously, "I think this is valuable information she could offer us. He was scheduled to arrive quite a while ago, aren't you worried, m'lady?"

The woman scoffed, turning her nose up to the situation. Turning her back to the two on the ground, she folded her arms across fine fabric. "Do what you will," Frisha dismissed, though the younger could tell she was listening with rapt attention.

"Well, Kagura? Where is the Lord?"

Kagura glanced over the shorter demon, taking in her braided silver hair and colourful markings. She, too, wore a finely crafted kimono, it drifting low on her slim arms. Deciding she liked the girl, she spoke, folding her fan. "Sesshomaru is hanging around a certain human village a ways away from here. Looking out for his hanyou half siblings." Kagura sneered in Frisha's direction, "Hurts that you're insignificant, doesn't it? You're only third best…" Mock pouting, Kagura watched as Frisha turned with an astonished look, mouth gaping.

"Now, now, there's no need for this," Kaspa looked sure that undoubtedly, a fight would break out if she didn't intervene. "We now know where lord Sesshomaru is, and he'll hopefully be back soon. Our conversation here is done, so Kagura can leave, and we get back to our tea. Doesn't that sound nice?"

Kagura made an unimpressed grunt before zipping off on her enlarged feather. The area was silent and tense as Kaspa took her seat on the raised walkway surrounding the castle. After a moment, Frisha perched herself gracefully, picking up her tea without a word. She remained silent no matter what the younger inu said.

xXx

A bright light exploded within the small hut, sizzling hot. It reached from the miko's small hands, engulfing Inuyasha in a sun-like radiance. Shielding their eyes, the other three occupants were knocked down, rolling backwards from the force that shot from the furious teen.

Hugging Rin close to her chest, Seishin turned away from the miko, feeling the spiritual energy burn through her clothes. She felt it licking at her skin, climbing up it in waves of heat unlike anything she's felt before. Hitting the side of the hut, she squinted towards the miko, seeing the light calm.

Standing there, with a look of surprise, Kagome observed her hands in awe. She didn't know she could do that, it was exhilarating! Who knew she was this strong?

Looking up from her slightly red hands, she observed the wreck Kaede's house was. The fire was burnt out, the bedding and seating askew, the pot of stew now stuck in a hole in the wall. Kaede herself was struggling to her feet, Seishin ensuring Rin was alright. Finally, the raven looked towards the subject of her initial anger, it bubbling up inside of her once more.

Having to peer through a certain hanyou-shaped hole, a human Inuyasha lay in a pile of early spring slush. Trembling horribly, he repeatedly attempted to get up, although struggling to do so. His fire-rat robes in near tatters, large horrible burn scars snaked up and around his chest.

The feeling of triumph that swelled from inside of the young miko dispersed the moment a towering figure came to land next to Inuyasha's smoking form.

"What is the meaning of this, miko?" Sesshomaru stared her down, holding her fearful gaze for longer than she was comfortable with.

"I…" she stammered, taking a step away from him. Glancing anywhere but in his direction, Kagome started shuffling towards the door, seeing Kaede looking away from her, a disappointed look settled on her wrinkled face. Next, ignoring the other half demon, she took a look at Rings fearful face. When they locked eyes, Kagome was disgusted with the fact that Rin cried out and buried herself into Seishin's arms.

Dashing out the door, she wondered why everyone was suddenly against her.


	18. Apologies

Sesshomaru turned to Seishin as the young miko disappeared from sight. "What is the reason for this attitude?"

Seishin shrunk into herself, holding onto Rin in a close hug. The young girl was still drying her tears. Taking a deep breath, Seishin decided to explain. "Higurashi showed up unannounced and started an argument…"

Sesshomaru was silent for a moment. "Rin," he commanded, making the young girl jump down and join him. His golden eyes met Seishin's, "Gather him. We will not return here." Without another word, he turned and walked into the forest.

Throat tightening, Seishin hopped through the wall to Inuyasha. Pulling him up, she had to support him completely lest he fall again. He was trembling, losing consciousness slowly.

"Kaede?" Seishin called into the hut. Momentarily the old woman's worried face appeared in the hole. "I'm so sorry… your hut…"

With a slight smile the woman forgave her. "Just see to that Inuyasha heals. You may seek me out if you ever need help. Just because Sesshomaru says so, doesn't mean you always need to listen. Keep that in mind, my dear."

"But… Higurashi…"

Kaede waved her off good-naturedly. "I can deal with a stubborn child. She proves to be only a threat to ye two. Take care of yourself, now."

With a teary farewell, Seishin carried her brother home.

xXx

Sango found Miroku inside the near complete construction that would become their home. It was really beginning to look like a house. Taking a seat next to him by the fire pit, the two sat in silence. It was tense and Sango was afraid of speaking. He must be so mad with her, how could she have said such things to him? Why did she have to pick between her best friend and her love? They used to all get along so well…

"Sango-"

"Houshi-sama-"

They fell silent. Miroku broke it first. It was a resigned tone, reserved from his usual confident voice, "I said to just call me Miroku."

The weight of it all sat heavily on her. Even after all this? He still wished one thing? How could he stand her, she was horrible. To think that maybe she could convince him into thinking anything was outlandish the more she thought on it. Why would Kagome suggest such a thing in the first place? Was it even right for a woman to try her word against a man? Miroku never tried to against her, he merely was his perverted self. He never pushed too far.

She admired him for it all.

"I don't know what is right anymore…" she admitted. A concerned glance was directed towards her. Miroku looked like he was about to say something, but she interrupted. "Why are we all so against each other? Why are we arguing over such a silly matter?"

He looked down, interlacing his own fingers together. "Sango, may I ask what matter we are speaking over? I regret to know there are several things happening."

Taking a moment to decide which problem she wished to solve first, she decided that their behavior between themselves was a bigger problem. She hated that they weren't talking, she missed him joking around with her and his pleasant calm aura that he carried. She really didn't want to be fighting with him. Not now, and especially not so soon before their house was finished. Their first memory of this house should not come to an argument, but loving moments where they could watch the scenery outside or enjoy the fire inside when it was cold out.

"Us, Hou- Miroku, I don't want to fight you. Not over something small. I feel like maybe all of this is a misunderstanding, but I can't bring to myself to admit exactly what."

He didn't say anything more for another few moments. Taking a deep breath, he turned to her, grabbing her hands. "Sango, I don't wish to argue with you on any matter at all."

"Miroku? Can I ask why you sided with Inuyasha?"

Nodding, he scooted closer with a small smile. "Inuyasha is a good friend. He may be rough around the edges, but he knows our boundaries. He's learned much over our adventures together. If you were properly armed that day, would you not have been able to handle that demon alone?"

Thinking back on it, she realized she had been wrong. She had been the one unprepared to enter into a demon-ridden forest unarmed, she can't learn to depend on others to protect her all the time. That dependency would have killed her for sure. It would've been her fault alone had she died that day. It was only by luck that Koga had shown up to give her a second chance.

"I see… It was my fault, and I am sorry for raising my voice at you. I am in the wrong here," giving his hands a gentle squeeze she smiled at him.

He shook his head, "It is not just your fault, Sango. I should have been clear on my thoughts from the start. I believe that maybe all of this wasn't Inuyasha's doing. As much as I regret saying this, I have to admit that I think something is different with Kagome."

She hated to admit this, but Miroku was right. Kagome seemed more irate than before. She had assumed that the frustration had grown past control because of Inuyasha's flippant attitude. Thinking on it though, Kagome was an awfully short-tempered person to match Inuyasha. They clashed often, and Sango loathed to admit that it would never work out between the two.

"It was… bound to happen sometime, wasn't it?"

"Unfortunately so. I'm sure our situation didn't help at all. It was quite stressful of a quest, we took on a large responsibility all by ourselves." Miroku sighed, "Maybe bringing Shippo along didn't help either."

Sango let out a soft giggle, "He caused quite a few problems himself, didn't he? We all did."

"Indeed. Though we all managed to grow from these experiences, you can be with someone that clashes with yourself for so long before you tend to act differently."

"And with Kikyo too…"

A regretful pause passed.

"That is aside the point," Miroku decided. "What do you wish to do now?" he directed this to her, wanting an honest opinion. He wanted to assure her that her thoughts mattered. If he didn't wish to repeat another argument, he'd have to become more attentive towards her.

Brows furrowed, she avoided his glance. It was so loving and trustful. Was she to pick the right answer? Each still supported one side of this rift over the other. How could she pick what was best for them?

"I… Think that it is best to keep them apart for now," she carefully worded it.

"Seishin is adamant on that, he is staying with her in the forest, while Kagome had been refusing to go out that way. Perhaps you could speak to Kagome sometime soon?" he proposed.

Her eyes lit up, "That is a good idea! Maybe we can get down to the root of the problem and we can all be good friends again. I hate for us to part ways now after all we've been through."

Pulling her into a hug, she relaxed into his hold. Enjoying his scent, she wondered how she could've held a fight with him all this time. She loved him and all his quirks. His chest vibrated as he spoke, "I hope all turns out well. And even if this group parts, I wish to stay with you above all else."

"Thank you."

"Thank you, Sango."


	19. Think about it

Seishin's treetop home was under a very intense atmosphere. The group had arrived home in no time at all, but not a word had been uttered since. Rin was unusually quiet, trying to keep occasional tears to herself. She'd snuggle up to Seishin or the unconscious form of Inuyasha, but seemed wary of approaching Sesshomaru.

He continued to brood in the corner of the central room, looking absently outside the window. He hadn't moved since he sat down. The two girls knew that nothing would snap him out of this glare. He must be in deep thought, and they feared his temper too much to ask what he was thinking about.

Seishin cared after Inuyasha in a muted manner. He had finally reverted back to his half demon state during the night, but he remains for the most part, unresponsive. In this time the rest of his injuries completely healed, even his ears seemed to begin picking up little noises like the fire crackling and the small shifts of fabric. Seishin hoped this as a sign of him waking soon.

Sitting back against the wall, she adjusted the blanket draped over Rin's sleeping form, smilling just a bit.

"Seishin," perking up at her name, she looked toward Sesshomaru. He hadn't moved, but his gaze was directed towards her.

"Yes?"

"Why do you remain here?" he asked.

"I... I stay because Inuyasha favours here over anywhere else we've been. We've always been on the move since the moment our mother died, we were cast out of the village and chased from then on. This forest was the first one that he showed any liking to." Looking down from his intense stare, Seishin shrunk in on herself. "I didn't want to take away something that brought him happiness... Yet look at where that decision brought us, I should've been more strict, but I just couldn't..."

"Learning the difference between being strict and being stubborn is imperative, don't learn the wrong thing." Sesshomaru's gaze returned to the outside. Spring was beginning to bloom, a warm breeze blowing through new leaves.

It was a little while until he spoke again, "If you were offered an alternative stay, away from such humans, would you accept?" The silence continued, though Seishin's shocked and confused expression spoke volumes to the Lord who glanced over timely.

Getting to his feet, he strode out of the house, with the intent to leave her to her thoughts. She probably wanted to wait for Inuyasha's opinion though he most likely would refuse to attest to one situation over the other. He probably would state that there was no real point to go anywhere else, that this was where that one wolf demon tended to linger and he had 'a score to settle.'

The half demon could really be ridiculous when he wanted to be, right to the point where Sesshomaru didn't feel like he could deal with it for much longer.

He made a decision however and he made a silent vow to himself and his late father that he would fix the mistakes of the past. If he was close to getting them to trust him, maybe in time he could trust them.

xXx

Back in the house, Inuyasha had stirred and the two had begun a hushed conversation. Blunt as he is, Inuyasha knew he would get backlash for waking Rin up. Others he didn't care much for, but he didn't mind Rin. She had never done anything to him, rather the opposite. She was always kind, and showed no fear around him.

"The real question being what does he mean by that? He couldn't actually mean he'd offer a home to us?" Seishin couldn't believe, wouldn't let herself believe, that there could be a break to the horrible life of a hanyou. "It's just so beyond what he would ever offer to anyone ever."

Her brother scoffed, "He wouldn't do anything unless there was something for him in it. What do you think it is this time?"

"Inuyasha!" Seishin hissed shy of whisper, making Rin shift slightly. Freezing for a moment, she continued when Rin settled, "That's not true... Why would he bother with us if he didn't mean to be a real brother? What could he possibly hope to gain from two half demons? Maybe he's changed?"

Inuyasha turned on his other side, facing the warmth of the fire burning in the centre of the room. Gathering the blanket closer to him, he grumbled out an 'I'll think about it.'

Sighing, she agreed. It's the best she could hope for out of this situation. Her thoughts drifted to images of a happy home, a simple two room hut. Warm, useful and someplace to call home. Somewhere safe and away from danger and all sorts of strangers. She would be able to live days at a time not needing to speak to anyone aside her direct family and they'd get along. Inuyasha could play games with her and Sesshomaru could tell them stories like a big brother should.

She could only hope that kind of future was real, and that it was foreseeable for her in particular.

It wasn't until later that night that Sesshomaru came back, carrying a scent of fresh rain. He must've gone flying into the clouds, higher than most demons prefer. He'd rather avoid those lower than him, preferring solitude over companionship. Which was remarkable considering the company he kept nowadays.

First was the child Rin, a human no less, who's personality vastly contrasted Sesshomaru's. Then he has that servant Jaken, who was extremely annoying and exhausting to deal with. Constantly trying to appease Sesshomaru in many subjects of attention, he should be glad he hasn't died yet.

It was a wonder the stoic lord kept them with him. They were people that a normal lord would never usually associate with, yet Sesshomaru did. It was the one thing that made no sense for a person such as Sesshomaru. He was aloof and quite the quiet type. Seishin swore that this was the most he had spoken in months. He could convey a lot in a small amount of words, having a certain air of command.

No wonder he seemed so scary to some, he made her uncomfortable, not that it was hard to do so.

His appearance went relatively unnoticed, Jaken still not having showed up, Rin still asleep and Inuyasha having conked out less than a half hour ago. Seishin herself was on the verge of sleep, but she felt like she shouldn't. He was still here, what if he needed to talk or had a question for her?

She didn't want to seem rude falling asleep with guests around...

Yet her golden eyes fell and she slept well.


	20. Dependence

"Sesshomaru, we have decided," was the bold statement that Seishin started the conversation with a few days after Sesshomaru had initially brought up the question. Over quite a bit of thinking, Seishin had made her side of the choice by herself.

She thought first that maybe she should come to a decision with Inuyasha to make sure they both agreed, but every attempt of conversation after the first time she asked him, he had found a way to change the subject. Whether it was trying to stray the conversation onto something else, ignoring her or actually getting up and stumbling away, he had actually forced them two into an awkward silence.

Seishin hadn't known what to do when he begun to ignore her, so she backed off and decided to focus on what she wanted. It's been a long time since she's been able to think solely about herself, so it felt a little odd. She has always been catering to whatever Inuyasha wanted or needed, feeling that it was her duty as the older sister.

It made her feel a little overly selfish.

Even though she adored the tree house she had made by herself, it tended to get lonely without anyone to occupy it with her. There was a point where she had spent so long in complete solitude, it was nearing the point where it scared her. She supposed she had gotten used to the silent prospect of it, but then she had never been fond of large crowds in the first place.

She spent a long night by herself up top on the balcony, remembering the time when she had first made the decision to build it. At the time she had a hard time with actually making the decision rather than making the house. She kept on doubting herself, thinking that maybe she didn't actually need to build shelter. The kept hoping that Inuyahsa would break out of the seal and the two could be on their way again.

Whatever humans they had met didn't really matter in the long run, right? They'd never last their lifespan, so it was quite a lost effort. Being magical as they were, they would outlive both humans and the typical lifespan of a half demon whether they live in peril or splendor. Seishin always wanted to know more than she was taught by her mother. She never had the pleasure to meet their father, but she did hear quite an amount of stories from Izayoi. She painted quite the hero of their father, and it only served to make her want to know more about him.

Izayoi only had so much she could've taught them, so Seishin could hardly blame her for anything. Because she had associated with a demon and had children with him, she had eventually been tossed out of her home. Seishin remembered very little about the large manor that they had before they got the little hut she adored.

She remembers it being quiet, and all the servants would always glance at her with scorn. They didn't like her at all, and at the time, she couldn't figure out why. It bothered her for a long time, but whenever she asked, Izayoi had said it was because of their magic.

Whenever she could, Izayoi would take a moment to teach them something new, but with the village being who they were, they were weary of magic and the three had to keep it secret. The twins were told to always make sure that they were alone when using magic. If the humans caught them, they would get killed. If the demons caught them, they would take them to abuse their power.

There were very few books that Izayoi had on the matter and when they left the manor, they didn't have the chance to bring them. When Inuyasha and she were older they took the chance to travel back to the manor, only to find it in charred ruins and the village utterly destroyed. With little to no success in finding anything of use or a clue to what happened, they searched the ruins of the manor. There was no telling what started the fire, and it looked as though the library had been emptied before the fire.

Seishin doesn't know what happened those books, but she hoped they were safe.

It was after that, that they had made their way here, where Inuyasha had first met Kikyo. Those days Seishin had begun to let Inuyasha venture farther from her, finally believing him to be mature and strong enough to handle himself. She was still scared of the inevitable, but she always managed to convince herself that if she were there, maybe she could've helped and Inuyasha would be spared.

This was around the time that Inuyasha himself had asked of Seishin for more space. It shocked her greatly, and she nearly burst into tears of fright. It had taken her a bit, but she gave him his space, and she had made her first friend in a long time.

Kaede was a very sweet little girl who easily found herself in trouble. It made Seishin feel like she was watching over Inuyasha some times. She had often taken charge when they were younger, making sure that her brother didn't send them to an early grave. Nonetheless, Seishin took great care in babysitting Kaede. She never really took the time to talk to anyone else in the village, their meeting were often in the forest where the little girl liked to pick herbs.

Everything had suddenly gone downhill and Seishin was driven further into the forest and her brother sealed away.

Though with her sub-par ability of independence, she did manage to speak to Inuyasha after she made up her mind. She was tired of the loneliness and the empty house, the humans sending her rude comments, the constant low level demons lurking about. She was tired of it all.

Explaining all this to her brother had been hard, she knew how much this place means to him and she didn't want to change that. Try as she might, this place could not be fixed. There were too many who wouldn't change, and it was time to leave.

Inuyasha was surprisingly silent during her speel. She had expected him to stop her halfway through, yelling at her. But he didn't, he let her finish, getting all her feelings and thoughts off her chest. It felt nice, like she really was wanted.

He was silent a moment before he started to explain why he wanted to stay, but even he could see the cons out weighing the pros if they stayed. So in clipped words, he accepted the offer. He wanted to leave, though slightly reluctantly. He was still horribly disoriented and had a hard time getting around anywhere by himself, and despite his attempt of convincing otherwise, he was afraid of accidentally coming across Kagome.

There was a brief discussion about how soon they should bring this up to Sesshomaru, understandable given their history with him. There were still moments when Seishin wondered if he really had changed or if this was all a trick. She had to remind herself twice now that he was going way past normal trickery means. If this was some sort of joke in the end, it would not have been worth this much effort. Sesshomaru was getting nothing out of this, in any way, shape or form. Maybe he really has changed.

Inuyasha was convinced however, no matter how much they needed to leave, he would still treat Sesshomaru with caution. Seishin guessed that it only made sense, he had been tossed around quite a bit in life. She supposed he had it with Kagome adding herself to the list.

"So what is your final decision?" Sesshomaru asked, turning to face her. He was sitting in 'his spot' by the window, silently spending the quickly warming afternoon by himself. Rin was just down on the ground with Ah-Un who had arrived just this morning with a letter addressed to Sesshomaru. He said nothing as he read it, turning it to flames when he finished it. He hadn't said a thing about it, keeping a silent watch on his young ward since.

"We're coming with you."

The barest lift of an eyebrow conveyed well enough that Sesshomaru was surprised that they agreed. Obviously he doubted that they would ever trust him enough to follow him home. Though they probably will not be alone for long periods of times, he is astounded that they aren't as stubborn as he thought them to be.

"We leave at dawn," was what he replied with, leaving the conversation at that and returning his attention to Rin. She had made flower crowns from the newly sprouted daisies, having one on her head and one on each of Ah-Un's heads.

Leaving Sesshomaru to whatever may occupy his thoughts, Seishin rejoined her twin in the secondary room.

"What'd he say?" Inuyasha asked her from where he sat in the corner of the room. He sat cross legged with Tessaiga leaning against his shoulder, looking ready to attack whatever threatened him. He had gotten quite paranoid and rather jumpy since, his other senses trying desperately to fill the gap his sight left behind.

"All he said was that we're leaving tomorrow morning, at dawn." Sitting next to him, she refrained from leaning against him, somewhat afraid of what he'd do in response.

"That crazy bastard," he muttered, "'s like he knew we'd agree."

"No, I think he was surprised. I swear I saw his expression change!"

"You probably imagined that," with a bit of free time, the two spoke a bit, sharing banter. They didn't dare speak aloud of their magic with Sesshomaru in hearing range. He'd surely change his mind about them when he heard of their abilities. Every demon they have met so far have been seduced by the thought of their capabilities and were drawn in. They wanted the power to destroy, though their powers could do so much more.

If only those books haven't gone missing, they would know much more and maybe things would've been much different, for the better. But for now, to preserve their fragile relationship with their step brother, the magic will be kept secret. Seishin doesn't know if they will ever tell him, but it's a nice thought.

Who knows? Maybe Sesshomaru will be the first to not be driven mad for power?

Seishin may not ever know, but she think that it may be a good thing. Nothing good has ever come from telling someone else, and maybe it was about time to give up on the fantasy of an open heart. After all these years trying, nothing has ever changed.

So why bother?

Eventually Seishin had to get up and pack up what she deemed important enough to bring with them on their journey. As she sifted through what was in the second bedroom and the storage room, she spoke with Inuyasha about where he thought they were going. What type of people were there, and what kind of house he lived in.

Most of Inuyasha's comments were snarky and rude, but she got the underlying message of 'I don't have a clue, stop asking me.'

She worked on in silence, leaving behind what was too old or unnecessary. There was very little she wanted to keep, and even less for her brother. What Inuyasha found valuable was usually kept on hand, always at the risk of being forgotten if left somewhere or broken or stolen.

This served to remind that Seishin now had no time to go find that wolf demon. She'd like to go strangle him, but in the end she knew her living brother was more important than keepsakes. They were precious, yes, but they weren't the same value to her as her brother. While she didn't doubt the fact Inuyasha would be torn between the two, her choice was Inuyasha over the jewelery.

When the moon was at its peak, and Seishin was trying to convince Inuyasha to sleep, the two unearthed their fear between them. Inuyasha hasn't been far from the tree in a while and he was clearly nervous.

"Keh, I have no reason to be nervous around that prick! I can defend myself..." his voice didn't support his claim, quieting as he spoke.

Sighing, she settled closer to him, joining his seated position in the corner. "You'll be fine, you always have been. Think of all those games you won!"

"This isn't a game!" he sounded near frantic, for the first time visibly unnerved.

"Inuyasha," she hadn't meant to upset him further. "You are strong and capable, I know you don't feel okay now, but you will be. You're not alone, you have me!" Gently placing a hand on his shoulder, he flinched back but settled when nothing more happened. "We'll take this one step at a time."

Shrinking in on himself, he set his face towards the floor.

She continued, seeing as Inuyasha wasn't going to answer her. "Let's keep fighting to a minimum while we're out, though. I don't want you to get hurt, you're still healing from last time. Please listen to me, and stay near me? I know you don't like being dependant and all that, but could you really listen to me this once?"

She sounded worried, and it hurt to miss the little quirks that she made when she spoke. She was a hand talker, moving them about as though there was a side conversation between just her hands. Her ears perked easily, and every little twitch if her tail would mean something else.

Some days it felt suffocating. He felt as though his world was reduced to a small crate that he could hardly fit in, slowly shrinking until it becomes too much. Whenever he walked, he felt oddly unbalanced, he couldn't be sure whether or not he was actually falling over, and it bothered him. Growing up the way he did, he couldn't afford to be too dependant on someone else. If he was separated or harassed he should be able to handle himself just fine. Though having Seishin there with him was a great experience and she was his first ever friend, the threats are still there and it causes problems.

But as he was now? So dependant? So vulnerable?

How could he be of any use? At this rate he'd rather throw himself to the hoards than cause the death of another. He didn't want to be a damsel who needed someone to sacrifice themselves for him.

He didn't need a repeat of loosing someone he loved.

What use could he be of? Even around Seishin's house, he didn't know where anything was and as subtle as it was, Seishin had to nudge him in the right direction or reassert his balance every now and then. She never complained, she even seemed happy to do it. But he knew that all he would get from others is hatred, how many more will hunt him down now? One day they'll become too much, a child's game is no everyday experience.

It was terrifying.


End file.
